Good Heart
by Sho-A0YCupid
Summary: When Luffy catches his ex boyfriend screwing his best friend, he runs to the farthest bar he could find, only to wake up the next morning to a strange man. While getting over what had happened, he gets close to a man who may die any moment. ZL and others
1. Green Eyes

Here's yet another idea that came to mind and is posted now.

Zoro: Why the hell am I here!?

Isn't if obvious?

Zoro: Why am I tied down in a chair!?

Because you wouldn't come here if I didn't.

Zoro: You could've asked!

I did.

Zoro: You're going to get hurt once I get out of here.

Easy there, I just happen to try to make up to you about this situation.

Zoro: Like what?

I just called Luffy, and should be here any minute.

Zoro: You didn't...

You're welcome. (walks away) Enjoy this new fic everyone!

Zoro: Get back here Sho-a!

Chapter 1: Green Eyes

*_+_*

The sun shone through a partly open curtain, the ray hitting a young face. The owner of that face groaned as the he got up, only to go back down on the pillow with a louder groan as he placed a hand on his head.

'Shit… What the hell happen?' He thought as he opened his eyes, which were brown with some light blue specks along the iris, which he quickly closed when the sun light hit them.

He placed his hand on his forehead, which he rubbed a bit.

Flashes of his blurry memory appeared in his mind as he sighed, trying to remember how he got here.

He remembered a lot of lights…

Feeling really good…

Spinning a lot…

Being really warm…

Loud music and voices…

Seeing two people doing…

Then everything went out of proportion.

He sighed as he tried to clear his head, but it was pounding so hard it was hard for him to focus.

Then all of his thinking stopped when he heard someone yawn next to him. He was afraid to open his eyes and look to see who was with him. Instead he felt what he had on under the sheet he was in. And he concluded that he was indeed nude like a new born.

'Fuck!' He thought as he stayed completely still when he felt the bed move.

"You up?"

He heard a voice and concluded that it was a man and sounded a little older than him, but not by much.

"Oi, you're not dead are you?"

He didn't say anything.

"After all that stupid heavy drinking you did, I wouldn't be surprised if you died from alcohol poisoning."

He had to groan to let the man know that he heard that.

"You're having a hangover. Wait here, I'll get you something that helps."

He heard the man walk out of the room for a moment, heard faint sounds from another room, and the pair of feet coming back into the room, this time to his side.

"How bad do you feel?"

He only whimpered as his head pounded with the sound of the man's voice so close, especially the thought that something had happen, otherwise he wouldn't be nude in the same bed.

"Here…" The man said in a whispered tone.

He managed to open his eyes to see a hand holding a glass of water.

"I would've given you pills, but your body maybe still getting rid of the alcohol."

He tried getting up, but his head pounded harder from the movement.

"Shit. I don't know what you were drinking, but it has to be the strongest kind to put you in this much pain."

He whimpered as he felt rough hands, lifting him up a little so that the glass of water can easily go down his throat. It was cold and awakened his body a little. But his head still pounded like a drum at a football game. He then felt something cool and wet on his forehead, which helped dimmed the pounding, but it still persisted.

"You have to stay here for a bit. You're in no condition to go out and about." The man said as he sighed. "You're lucky I don't have work to do today. So just relax and focus on getting better."

He sensed the man getting up and was walking away from the bed.

"You're clothes are being washed, so that you can go home looking decent instead of being a wreak like you were last night."

'Last night?' He thought as he groaned. 'Just what happened last night?'

"If I were you, I wouldn't try to think about the past for now. It will only give you a headache. I'll be around the place, so if you need anything, try to make a loud noise and I'll be here."

He heard the door being closed and he sensed that he was indeed alone on the bed, naked, and his head pounding a mile a second.

He sighed as he opened his eyes a bit more to see the plain grey walls and white ceiling of the room. He saw the night stand and saw the tall glass of water. The sheets were white and it smelled clean.

He explored his body with his hand and realized that he didn't feel any pain anywhere in his body except his head.

'Rape is out.' He thought, which was a good thing, but he has to know what was going on. 'But how do I know that he didn't do something else and not that?' He groaned as he tried to make ends meet, if only there wasn't so many ends to make a complete thought.

He decided that trying to think in this state was almost impossible, and thought a nap would help.

_/\/\/\/\_

Sometime later he woke up and the pounding seemed to reside a bit, letting him sit up. His black bangs wet from the cloth that slipped off and landed on his lap.

He tried opening his eyes more, but his eyes were still a bit sensitive from the light as he heard sounds coming from behind the door.

His body as well seemed numbed from lack of use and was in the sitting position for a while when he heard the door open and a pair of feet came in.

"I see that you're up." The man said as he walked up to the side of the bed and placed something on the nightstand. "Figured you would be hungry by now. If you're not, tough luck, you need something solid in your stomach so the digestive fluid doesn't attack your stomach. And then where will that lead you?"

He felt his chin being lifted and his nose picked up something good.

"Hope you don't mind soup." The man said as he felt the warm liquid go down his throat and the softened vegetables harbored in his mouth for him to chew. "That okay?"

He made a noise that lets his host know that it was good.

"You probably don't remember what happened last night, correct?"

He made a sound again.

"Well, I don't know what happened before you started drinking, but I can tell you what happened that made me get you to my place."

"Naked…" He managed to say.

"That's another story." The man said.

He felt the continuous offer of the warm soup as the man spoke.

"I walked in, hoping to have a drink of my own, when I saw you, on the stripper's pole of all places."

He nearly choked on the soup.

"I never said it was going to be pretty." The man said. "Anyway… I see you there and just left you alone until I saw some shady characters whispering and pointing your way. I've seen the scum bags before… Seems they wanted something fresh for a change."

He choked on the soup again.

"Well, obviously that never happened. I managed to get you out before that. Let me tell you, you weren't exactly making it easier by crying out stupid songs and being like a human rubber guy with the way you keep going around and bending in ways that would make yoga look like a kid's activity. And, since I didn't know where the hell you live, plus you were crying about someone betraying you, I brought you to my place and you immediately started taking off your clothes."

He choked again.

"Would you mind not trying to kill yourself? Anyway, not that you were very tempting, I knew it was just the crazy drinks you had. Which, by then, you threw up all over my bathroom. I cleaned you up, brought you to my room, and was going to clean the bathroom when you stopped me, and asked me to stay."

He felt the other wiping his face to get rid of any liquid that remained on his face.

"I knew it was still the drinks…" The man sighed. "But you had the look that made me think to hell with the bathroom, and here we are."

"That's it?" He asked.

"That's it." The man said as he gathered the dishes. "You should continue to rest. Another nap should do the trick."

"Thank you…" He said.

"No problem."

"I'm Luffy…"

The man paused at the doorway. "Not to be rude, but I don't like giving out my name."

"Okay…"

"I'll check on you later. If you need to go to the restroom, it's cleaned up now and it's at the left from this door."

"Okay…" Luffy said as he took a nap again.

_/\/\/\/\_

By the time he woke up again, he still felt a bit of a headache, but he felt a bit better than before. He looked out at the window to see that it was nighttime and felt the need to go.

He got up, gets his balance back, and started to walk towards the door, which was opened and he bumped into a strong chest.

"I see you're getting better." The man said.

"My head still hurts…"

"That does happen. Going to the bathroom?"

He nodded then remembered that he doesn't have any clothes on, which he tried to get away.

"I'm not going to do anything to you. You're still not well, nor am I interested in sleeping with strangers I just met. Right this way." The man said as he led the way.

"You're really nice…"

The man was silent as he opened the door. "Just focus on getting better." He said as he left the other be.

Luffy looked up for the first time and saw that the man was athletically built and has a black bandana on.

(*)

After doing his business and getting back to bed, the man came back to the room and saw a plate of food as well as a huge white shirt.

"Hope you don't mind stir-fry." He said. "It's mostly what I could do around here."

"I like anything that's food related."

"Good to know."

Luffy looked at the other, still wearing a bandana, but saw that the other has light green side burns and a darker shade of light green eyes. He also saw that the face has a grouchy look, but looked good at the same time as the man put the shirt over his head and helped him put it on.

The man handed him the plate and he immediately digged in.

"Did you starve?"

He shook his head. "Just love eating."

"Really…"

He nodded as he finished the plate. "Seconds?"

"Glad to see you got your appetite back." He said as he grabbed the plate.

"What time is it?"

"About nine."

Luffy then remembered something. "Nine…"

"Yeah…" He said when he saw the look on the other's face. "Something wrong?"

"Last night…" He said as everything came flooding back.

* * *

**_Flashback_**

_Luffy just got out of the grocery store with a bag held protectively in his arm. He looked into the bag to see a wine bottle, a case of strawberries, and some chocolate syrup. He smiled, can't wait to get to his apartment that he shared with his boyfriend._

_He had planned for their fifth year anniversary for some time, and he was ready. He had dodged the one thing that every couple should have in their relationship. But this time he was completely ready._

_He made it to his apartment and felt excited about it._

_He had told his boyfriend of five years that he was going to be working a bit late so that he could go out to the store, buy the most expensive red wine there along with rest of the dessert, and surprise him._

_He quietly walked down the hall, his excitement increasing with each step when he heard a sound that sounded familiar, but off at the same time._

_His steps became cautious as he went closer to his door, where the sounds were becoming a little louder._

_He wanted to be a sick joke, but when he opened the door…_

**_End of Flashback_**

* * *

"That jackass was doing the doggie position with my best friend!" Luffy shouted. "I'm so stupid!" He pounded his fists to his head. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" He kept repeating when he felt hands on his wrists.

"You're going to give yourself another headache."

"The last thing I did was drop the $150 wine to the floor and saw the look on both their faces before running to the farthest bar and… try to forget…"

"And it was working, but it's only a temporary thing." He said as he let go of the other's wrists.

"Yeah…" He said as he brought his knees up to his chin. "I can't go back there… I just can't…"

The man looked at him with no emotion as he sighed. "Do you have anyone else to stay with? Maybe a hired assassin?"

Luffy managed a giggle with that. "I wish… I do have a lot of friends back in college… but I can't runaway to another place just because of what happened… I just wanted to know the truth."

"Then go up to him, get a really good punch in, possibly a kick in, tell him what a moron and a dumb fuck he is, grab anything that may have belonged to him, throw it like a crazy Amazon woman until he's out the door, and tell him it's over and you're back to your apartment."

"What if I don't want to stay there?"

"Then do what I just told you and find a new place."

Luffy nodded as he looked at his knees. "Thanks Nice Guy."

"Nice Guy?"

"Well, you didn't tell me your name, so I have to call you by something. It's either that or Green Eyes."

"Green Eyes?"

"Yeah, you got really cool green eyes."

"Whatever… I really don't care what you call me."

"… Okay… Green Eyes."

The man sighed again as he got up and gathered the dirty dishes.

"You live here by yourself?"

"Yeah… and no, I don't get lonely."

"Lucky… I don't think I could handle being alone for so long."

"You dependent or something?"

"No!" He said a bit loudly, a small glare towards the man before looking at his knees. "It's just the kind of person I am… Or so my brother says."

"You have a brother?"

"Well… We're not brothers by blood, but we're just as close."

"Then stay with him until you find another place."

"Can't… He just moved in with his boyfriend some weeks ago."

"That's no reason to not stay."

"He'll kill Sanji and Usopp for sure if I told him the reason… I'm horrible at lying and he always gets the truth out of me…"

The man sighed. "Do whatever you want, you're still recovering." He said as he started to head out of the door.

"Can I stay here with you for a bit?"

"That's out of the question."

"Why?"

The man paused at the doorway and sighed. "Remember when I told you that you were tempting when you drunkenly stripped when I brought you here?"

"Kinda…"

"I won't lie to you because I know you're a good kid and all, but I can't have anyone around me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm sick."

"You don't look sick to me."

"That's because it doesn't show on the outside. I worked hard not to let it show."

"Why tell me?"

"Like I said, you're a good kid… and you said that you wanted to know the truth, right?"

"Well… that's for why Sanji was fucking with Usopp…"

"So?"

Luffy looked at Green Eyes for a moment before breaking the silence. "Can you tell me what you're being sick from?"

"It's my heart. I can't get excited or get stressed at the slightest or it will trigger some kind of heart attack."

"A weak heart?"

"To be blunt."

"It's not that. I've heard it in science class, but it seems so…"

"Yeah… Well… You should be good to go by morning. You're clothes are clean and in the bathroom."

"Thanks Green Eyes…"

"No problem."

"One more question."

"What's that?"

"How did you managed to get me out? You said you can't get stressed at the slightest or you're heart will…"

"Well, for some unknown reason, you came onto me after having your fun on the stripper's pole and dancing around like a drunken monkey. So, needless to say all I have to do is make sure you were clinging onto me as we walked out of the bar."

"Did I say anything stupid?"

"Nothing I could make out."

Luffy nodded. "Thanks… Good night…"

"Night kid."

"It's Luffy, and I'm twenty five."

The man looked at him with a raised brow. "You look like you're seventeen."

"You look like you're thirty."

"I'm twenty seven."

He smiled. "Just three years off."

The man rolled his eyes as he closed the door.

He sighed as he looked at the time, which was 10:03 p.m, and turned off the nightstand light but didn't immediately go to bed. Instead he thought about what the other said about his illness and the advice about going about confronting his now ex boyfriend and ex best friend. He thought about where to go after he moved out of the apartment, who will be willing to let him stay besides his brother, and whether or not this place has a room opening so that he could at least be his host and savior's neighbor. He then thought about the man's loneliness, and how long must the other have this heart condition that makes him… almost robotic if not for the sliver of kindness that he had witnessed.

He really need to sleep… maybe the answers will come to him by morning and slept uneasily to a dreamless, deep sleep.

_/\/\/\/\_

When morning did come, he was much better and freshened himself up.

He went into the living room, which was just as bland and dull as the bedroom with only a couch, a table with two chairs, a rug that seemed to have seen better days, and a kitchen that had piled up dishes in the sink, cabinets and a fridge.

He couldn't place his finger on it, but he suddenly felt a little uncomfortable being in the apartment room. Like the atmosphere in the place was pressing against his chest.

The lack of any color besides gray and white was a little unnerving and, as he noticed, the place seemed to be untouched by any creativity or anything that may bring life to the room.

He ate the remainder of the soup that the other left for him to eat and walked out of the apartment, and walked down to the land lord's office, which he suddenly found difficult because all the doors looked the same except for the black numbers.

He saw an old woman and asked her where the office was.

"What's the matter with you dear?" She asked kindly.

He didn't understand what the old woman was talking about. "Nothing's the matter with me. I just wanted to know if there was a free room for me to move in."

It was the woman's turn to look confused. "You're not dying dear?"

"Huh? Dying?"

"Did you honestly think that you could move in to this complex?"

"I don't understand… what is this place?"

"Is there a problem here?" Said another woman, a bit more fit and athletically built to be a model than the older, seemingly feeble woman.

"This young man wants to know if there's a room when he's not dying." The woman said.

"Really? And why is that? Did the hospital make an error?"

"Nani? Hospital?"

"Do you have any idea what this apartment is for?"

He shook his head. "I just woke up and this guy was caring for me yesterday from a major hangover. And I wanted to move out of my apartment…"

"And why would you want to move out?"

"I caught my now ex with my now ex best friend."

"Oh…" Said the athletic woman.

"I'm so sorry dear." Said the feeble woman.

"I'm getting over it a little… And I just wanted to know if there's a room here."

The athletic woman sighed as she mentioned the other woman to go about her business. "Listen here brat. This may be an apartment complex, but the residence here are not like you."

"I know the guy who took care of me has a heart condition, but he made it clear that he doesn't want a roommate."

"Upon his request."

"You're the land lord?"

"Yes, and their personal doctor."

"Doctor?"

"This apartment is run by my hospital for patients who can still live their lives, but still need special care. This way the hospitals won't be crowded unnecessarily."

"Makes sense… but what did the woman mean by 'dying'?"

"This apartment was built, like I said, for patients that live out day in and day out like you and me, but their care is critical." She then bent down so that they were about nose to nose. "This place is for people to die in a steady environment."

"To… die…"


	2. Getting Over and Questions

Chapter 2: Getting Over and Questions

Luffy walked back to the apartment complex where he and his now decided ex lived.

* * *

_**Luffy's POV**_

I was shocked to know that Green Eyes's apartment was actually a place for him to die in if he didn't get a heart transplant soon. Plus he's also a resident there because of the special conditions that demanded for him to stay there and not live out like a normal person or be bed ridden in a hospital room.

But with all that aside I still wanted to get out of the apartment that was stained with memories that I thought were good. They still are, but I don't really know if those two were doing it that one night, or were doing it for some time. And if memory serves me right, it seems it's been going on for a bit if my best friend knew exactly how to do that kind of thing… traitor…

I knew what I have to do. It won't be easy, but the emotions will have to come later after I vent this out.

I went up to the door and knocked on the door… and I'm ready.

_**Luffy's POV: End**_

* * *

The door opened to reveal a young man of twenty-seven with a long, thin body, well managed blonde shiny hair with a lock of it covering the left eye, and his visible eye showing an ocean blue iris color and an unique curl of his eye brow.

"Luffy! List-"

Luffy didn't give the other time to finish as he punched the other in the face. "Save it! You asshole!" He said as he stomped in to get another punch into the other's gut. While the other was down, he went to the bedroom that the man occupied, opened the closet and took out the neat, tux-like clothes, and stomped back out to see the man regaining himself.

"Luffy! If you just give me a minute!"

"Oh! A minute!? Sure! I'll give you a minute! WHEN YOUR LYING, FRIEND FUCKING DICK IS OUT OF HERE!" He called out as he shoved the clothes out the still open door.

"Luffy! Just hear me out!"

"Oh I heard you! I heard you loud enough that night!" Luffy bitterly snapped as he roughly shoved the man to grab more of the man's supposed belongings and throwing them out the door.

"Would you stop!" Sanji said as he grabbed the other's arm.

Luffy just glared at the man. "Get your fucking hand off of me." He said quietly in a low tone.

"Luffy… what happened the other night…"

"I ran to a bar and was close to being lead to a rape victim… Where were you?"

"I tried calling you."

"I. Was. Drunk. Asshole." He pulled his arm from the other's grasp. "I want you out of this apartment and out of my life. It's over!"

Sanji just stood there, shocked to see the other like this. "Just give me another chance…"

"You wanna know something? I was ready to go to the next step that night!" He said as he found another item that belonged to the other. "But I find you already doing that with someone close to me!" He threw the item at the man, earning a small cut a little above the brow. "Now get out!"

"Luffy…"

"You don't love me anymore! I get it!"

"It's not like that…"

"Then tell me what it is! I don't know if I can take what you say seriously anymore!" He could feel himself breaking, but he can't yet! "You don't love me anymore! I don't even think you're able to commit after flirting with practically every woman in this city! But Usopp!?"

"I know what it looks like…"

"No… Sanji… You don't…" He took a deep breath as he looked straight into the visible blue eye of his ex. "I've put my heart out for you for five years… It's clear you never took yours out genuinely like I did. I'm giving you five minutes to take your shit and get out of my sight!" He turned as he walked into his own room and locked the door.

(*)

He waited five minutes before walking out, seeing the front door closed and the spare room in slight disarray from his actions earlier and felt a weight lifted off of his shoulders as he started to cry freely.

(*)

After two hours of waterworks, he got the paper that was on the table earlier and looked up possible apartment openings when the phone rang. He ignored it as he continued to look after it rang five times.

"Oi! It's Green Eyes! I know you're there by now!"

He looked up from the paper before dashing to the phone. "H-Hello?"

"Oi! You did what I told you to?"

"Y-Yeah, I did. How did you get this number?"

"You left your cell here baka."

"Oh…"

"What are you doing now?"

"Looking up apartments…"

"Good. Come by later if you can, I really don't want to keep your stupid cell."

"Okay… thanks again by the way."

"Save it… It was nothing to be grateful for."

"I'm thanking you anyways."

There wasn't a response from the other line for a few minutes before the silence was broken.

"Just get your crap cell and get yourself back together." With that, silence followed.

"Jerk…" He said as he placed the phone down as well, but didn't lift his hand up from it.

He thought about what the other has done for him, the isolation the other must've gone through, even remembered the heavy atmosphere in that dull, life-less room.

"But a nice guy…" He said as he looked at the paper and went back to look through it.

_/\/\/\/\/\_

A week went by and Luffy didn't bother going back to the other apartment to get his cell back. In fact, he wanted the other to call back about it, just wanting to hear the other's voice on the line. While he did wait, he had been busy selling stuff that he won't need or getting rid of memories while keeping the things that he would need in the next apartment, which he hasn't found yet.

He had been getting calls from his lesbian friend, Nami, who had heard from Usopp about what happened. Like him, she hasn't spoken to either of the two men who had broken his heart and trust.

At first she tried his cell, which then led to the apartment phone because she kept getting a different man's voice on the cell. When he explained what happened, she asked why not get his cell, which he simply responded that he didn't feel like he should get it right away.

She offered to go get his cell if he was busy, but he quickly told her that he will get it soon.

Another week went by before the apartment phone went off.

"Hello? Luffy speaking."

"What the hell."

"Hey Green Eyes!"

"It's been two weeks! When are you getting your damn cell!?"

"I'm surprised the battery even lasted this long."

"Not funny baka. I didn't want the battery waste if you're going to make a call once you get it."

"Nice and thoughtful."

"Shut up."

"Well, I'm currently selling stuff that I don't want."

"Like I care."

"And I got a few apartments in mind to move into."

"Yeah…"

"I have to wait to know what I really want."

"What's your point?"

"You're the one who called me."

"That's because you don't even have my number."

"And you're using my cell so I wouldn't get the caller I.D."

"Technology is a scary but wonderful thing."

"Yeah, especially since you got my cell."

"I'm not the idiot who left it."

"I thought it was in my pocket."

"Yeah, like cells could be washed and still work."

"Now you're just making fun of me."

"No, I'm calling you a moron."

"And you're such a jerk!"

"Rather be that than a moron."

Luffy sighed harshly so it could be heard. "Well! Just so you know, you maybe a jerk, but I know your other side."

"You were a pathetic mess! Of course I have to do something."

"In a bar? You could've just left me there."

"I would if I didn't know what those sick bastards had in mind."

"And for that I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything."

"I do, like it or not."

He heard the other sigh. "You don't take 'no' for an answer easily, do you?"

"Saying 'no' most of the time and you miss out. Saying 'no' some of the time, you better have a good reason."

"That a saying?"

"I just made it up on the spot."

"I'll give you points for originality."

Luffy giggled.

"So… When are you getting your damn cell?"

"When I move into my new place."

"You can't be serious…"

"I am."

"You don't sound serious."

"Hey!"

"I have an appointment to get to."

"Okay, talk to you later!"

"I was hoping I wouldn't."

"Jerk!"

"Whatever…"

With that they hung up.

He sighed as he placed the phone back to its cradle. "Thanks for calling Green Eyes." He smiled. "It made my day."

_/\/\/\/\/\_

It had been a whole month since then and he sighed when he placed the last box down.

"Yosh! Finished!" He said as he saw boxes in his new apartment. It was a bit rough trying to find one, but he managed to get a good one just blocks away from the hospital, which was close to the one apartment where he would go drop by for a visit really soon.

After quickly cleaning himself off, he walked out and headed to the said apartment complex.

(*)

When he arrived, he asked for the land lord doctor, who then told him which room the man was staying in. He went up and knocked on the door, which only took a minute before the door opened to see the man, shirtless, showing a really old scar, and the absence of the bandana showed off the short, light green hair.

"Hi Green Eyes!"

"Hey…Here for your cell finally?"

"That, and I want to say 'hi'."

The man sighed and stepped aside. "Come on in."

Luffy did and saw that the room was just the exact same dull, life-less room as he last saw it.

"I take it you moved into your new apartment." He said as he grabbed the cell from a clear bowl with some coins and a few keys. "Here." He said as he threw the cell to the other, who caught it almost dropping it.

"My place is just a few blocks from the hospital…"

"Okay…"

"So… I may drop by more."

The man sighed. "Great…" The man sighed as he rubbed his temple. "I do one good thing and this is what I get…"

"I'll try not to bother you."

"You're doing a poor job already."

"At least I'm not rooming with you."

"It would be impossible anyway."

"I didn't call you an hour every day."

"Possibly the only good thing you did."

"Come on Green Eyes! What's wrong with being friends? I'll even settle for being just acquaintances!"

"No, you wouldn't. You like companionship, I don't."

"Because you're in a place like this?"

"That's not it."

"Because there's a chance for you to die tomorrow?"

The man didn't respond.

"I may not know a lot of things… but I'm certainly not an idiot."

"Yes you are… You're just a different kind of idiot."

"Then you're an idiot too."

The two stared off at each other before Luffy sighed.

"Fine…" He said as he turned to walk out of the door. "But don't think this is the last time you see me. Nice scar by the way." He finalized as he closed the door and walked out to the hall.

Green Eyes just stared at the door and sighed in annoyance. "Damn it…"

_/\/\/\/\/\_

A week went by and the man was in the hospital for a checkup from his land lord, or land lady but he never refer her to that.

"How's that friend of yours?"

"He's an idiot, not a friend."

"Fine, how's your idiot then?"

"Three times a week, a few Sunday visits, and calls me after the hours of my appointments."

"So, if you were to walk out of this room now, I would expect a cell going off?"

"The idiot found my number."

"Want to move to another room then? I am your land lady after all."

"Tempting…"

She smiled. "I see…"

"It's not like that!"

"Oh? How disappointing."

"Are you sure you're a doctor?"

She was holding one of the large popsicle. "What was that?"

"I'm going…" He said as he walks out of the clinic room, only to see the familiar free style ebony hair.

"Green Eyes!" Luffy said happily.

"Why?"

"Well! I got off of work early and decided to see how you were and thought we should walk in the park."

The man sighed as he put his jacket on. "Fine, I needed to get out for a bit anyway."

"Great!" He said happily as they walked side by side.

(*)

"Remind me again, what is it exactly do you do?"

"I help out at a daycare for troubled kids."

"That's right... Got a degree dealing with troubled kids?"

"Something like that."

"Sounds tiring."

"I got a lot of energy."

"I've noticed."

"What about you? Surely you have to have something to do besides being in your apartment room all day."

"I do have a job mind you."

"What is it then? You never told me."

"You're stalking me enough as it is."

"I'm not stalking. If I was you wouldn't know I'm here!"

"I didn't expect you to see you after my appointment."

"Your neighbors were nice enough to tell me that you did."

He sighed as he shook his head. "What is it this time?"

"Huh?"

"There has to be a reason why the hell you're waiting for me."

"Trying to be friends with you."

"You're wasting your time."

"You say that, but I see it differently."

"If I didn't have this condition you would be a dead man by now."

"That's what you said three days ago. So, what do you do?"

"You never let go do you?"

"Only if it's not worth it."

Zoro leaned his head back and sighed. "You're so annoying!"

"And you trained yourself to have a monotone, which is kinda weird but I'm willing to deal with anything you throw at me."

He sighed as he realized that the other wouldn't leave him be until he answers his questions. "If I answer all your stupid questions, would you get off my back?"

"Depends on the response."

"For a simple idiot you like to make things complicated for others."

"It's a gift." He said with a grin.

"Cheeky bastard."

He stuck out his tongue.

"Oh that's mature."

"What do you do?"

He sighed as he started responding. "I donate blood for Dr. K in exchange for money for basic necesities. I don't get out of my way for new clothes, and the only things I really need is food and personal hygene stuff."

"What blood type are you?"

"AB positive."

"So am I!"

"Good to know."

"How long have you had this illness?"

He sighed. "It happens to the males in my family, which all are dead if you're wondering, and I got into an accident which just brought the cause up sooner then expected. This illness isn't fully apparent until I'm in my mid to late thirties. But like I said, it came to me sooner than expected."

"The accident... Is that where you got your scar?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I was riding my motorcycle, being an idiot and went too fast into a closed up construction site." He paused as he took out a white pill and swallowed it dry. "I wasn't suppose to live from that, but I did and now I can't do anything worthwhile."

"That must be horrible..."

He shrugged. "After the first two years it become routine."

Luffy stopped walking, making the other stop. "How long has this been going on?"

The man looked at the other as he sighed and looked away and stared at something that wasn't there. "Ten years at the most."

Luffy was amazed. "You lived like that for ten whole years?"

"Yeah..." He said as he took a lungful of air before sighing it out. "Any more questions?"

"Not at the moment..."

"Okay..." He said as they started their way out of the park. "This was okay."

"Huh?"

"This walk... It was okay."

Luffy smiled and nodded. "Yep! I learned a bit more about you."

"You really didn't give me much of a choice." He said as he grinned. "Now it will be my turn to ask you questions the next time we meet."

"Sounds fair. I guess I'll see you later then."

"Not too soon."

"Hey!"

"Night Luffy."

"Night Green Eyes!" He called as he was about to quickly leave when he heard the other call him again.

"Oi!"

He looked, only to have his cheek being pinched and pulled before being released. "Ow! What was that for!?"

"The next time I answer a personal question, don't give me that face."

Luffy blinked before realizing what he meant and nodded. "Done. Ow..."

"You know where to find me."

"Yep." He said as he walked away. "Jerk..."


	3. Unwelcomed Visit

Zoro: What is taking that girl so long?

(runs and trips) Ow...

Zoro: Speak of the devil.

Shut it! Reviews! (sets the chapters out)

Zoro: Okay... (grabs one) From Iryann

Have you reviewed before? I think I remember seeing your name. Anyway... Well here's more! Thanks for waiting!

Zoro: (grabs another) From Gene-san

I know… I wanted to show the harsh side of Luffy. I think I pulled it off okay.

Zoro: (grabs another) From Kira-chan

Thanks, here's more!

Zoro: (grabs another) From Kami-san

Hey Kyuubi. And here's more for your reading pleasure.

Zoro: (grabs another) From Gecko-san

He's a tough guy, he can handle it.

Zoro: Oi! (grabs another) From Mimi-chan

For chapter 1... He's been alone for most of his life, he doesn't want to be attached to anyone. And 2... (giggles) You're so cute!

Zoro: (rolls eyes and grabs another) From Tori-san

Not my fault! I keept getting ideas!

Zoro: That's your own fault (grabs another) From Suguri-chan

Thanks!

Zoro: (grabs another) From Ai Tennshi

New! Here's more. I hope I don't disappoint.

Zoro: (grabs another) From KawaiiKilala77

New! Here's more!

Zoro: (grabs another) From Ookami-san

Yeah. Well, here's the new chapters and I hope I don't disappoint.

Zoro: (grabs another) From Softdreamer

Who doesn't like a happy ending?

Zoro: Someone who likes death? (grabs another) From Whats-up-people

Shut it Zoro! Oh new one! Here it is!

Zoro: (grabs another) From Gino-Esoj

(blushes) Thanks.

Zoro: (grabs another) From The Wandering Swordsman

From chapter 1... (giggles) I'm honored. And 2... I love that line too! And I hope these new chapters don't disappoint as well.

Zoro: (rolls eyes and grabs another) From Silvermoondemon16

Thank you.

Zoro: (grabs another) From Hmob1994

I know, but Zoro is the toughest guy I know in anime. So he can handle it.

Zoro: (grins and grabs the last one) From Black rose pirate

Thank you.

Zoro: That's it.

Thanks Zoro. Well! Enjoy the chapters everyone!

* * *

Chapter 3: Unwelcomed Visit

*_+_*

The next day, Luffy was getting groceries after work and he thought about the man when he reached for a loaf of bread, only for another hand reaching for the same loaf.

"Sorry, you go ah-" He started to say when he looked to see Usopp, his ex-best friend.

"Hey… Luffy…" Usopp said. He was Luffy's age, dark olive tan skin, a long nose and thick lips, along with dark brown, almost black curly hair tied to a pony tail.

Luffy didn't respond as he took a couple steps back and was going to make a run for it when Usopp called out to him.

"Luffy! Can't we talk?"

He didn't want to deal with this. "I'm busy!" He said, breaking eye contact and hurriedly got out of the asile, went to the self-cashier station, and ran out of the store to his car.

He hurriedly got out of the parking lot and was going to the speed limit when he got out and headed to his new apartment.

_/\/\/\_

Once he did, he checked to see that he didn't get everything that he needed, but he didn't want to go back out either.

"There's always tomorrow when it comes to groceries…" He said with a disgruntled sigh as he put the groceries away when the phone rang. "Mochi mochi." He said. "Luffy speaking."

"Hey Luffy! It's Vivi!"

"Hey Vivi, how's it going?"

"Oh, very well! I called to see if you're up to join us to a party."

"What kind of party?"

"It's something of Nami's, but there's food, dancing, and there's some really cute gay singles to check out if you're ready."

"I'll go for the food. I just ran into Usopp when I was shopping."

"Oh…"

"He wanted to talk… but I'm not ready to forgive, much less listen to what either of them have to say."

"I understand. Nami and I'll make sure you don't get hit on, unless you tell us otherwise."

"Thanks Vivi. I'll be there in a bit."

With that he went out.

_/\/\/\_

The next day, he started to head out to work, only to see Sanji waiting for him by the bottom step. He was angry about seeing him, especially since he was sure that Nami wouldn't tell where he now lived after what happened.

"You stalking me now? What the hell do you want?" He said, looking down at the man from the top step.

"Just to talk."

"Funny, that's what Usopp said yesterday when we met up in the grocery store."

Sanji sighed as he straightened his posture. "I know what I did was wrong and completely dishonest."

He rolled his eyes. "Jeeze Sanji, you're going to have to do something better than that cheesy crap!"

"I wasn't done."

"I didn't say I was going to listen." He said as he marched down the stairs. "I have to get to work."

"It's Sunday…"

"I work a couple Sunday's a month." He said as he went up to his car, which was stopped by a hand and felt the body heat behind him.

"Luffy… I want to apologize for all the things I've done. But I can't do that unless I know I have at least a small chance of forgiveness."

Luffy opened the door, but didn't move as he responded. "Come back in five years, then the three of us will talk. Now move, I can't get to work with your hand glued to my car door."

Sanji backed off and watched as the other went into his car and drove away.

Luffy looked out of the rear view mirror and saw the lost, hurt look in the other's face. "Serves him right…" He said as he went to work.

_/\/\/\_

After work, he thought earlier that he could visit Green Eyes, but then he started having a bad day and didn't go. Instead he stayed at his apartment and watched the available movies on his television when he heard someone knock on his door.

Still remembering what happened earlier, he growled as he marched up to the door.

"Damn it Sanji! I'm going to file a suit if you're stalking me!" He called as he opened the door, only to see the man with the green hair and eyes.

"I'm guessing a bad time."

"Sorry… Come on in."

"No, I was just around the area and decided, for a change, to see you and be on my way."

"Oh…"

"Oi… what's wrong?"

"Nothing…"

"Doesn't sound like it."

"It doesn't concern you…"

There was a moment of pausing silence before the man sighed. "I guess it wouldn't kill me to stay a few minutes." He said as he let himself in.

"What's been going on?" Luffy asked.

"The usual… Rotting in a formal way. You?"

"I met up with my ex-best friend yesterday, and my ex this morning. And both just wanted to talk."

"And you're not ready."

He shook his head.

"If you're not ready then you're not ready. Simple as that."

"I don't like this though…" He said as he sat down on the couch. "I don't like feeling like this or acting like this!" He could feel tears threatening to come out. "I'm not ready to forgive them… but I don't like avoiding them without knowing why!"

The man sat down next to him, but there was still distance between them. "It can't be helped Luffy." He said. "Like I said, if you're not ready, you're not ready. You may not like it now, but when you do feel ready, you'll know."

"It's been almost a month and a half now… How much time do I have before I do feel ready?"

"Time doesn't heal everything… And only you decide when that is."

Luffy sighed as he looked at his knees. "How come you make sense?"

"Huh?"

"You don't look like the kind of guy to give advice to troubled relationships."

"I'm not, but I heard enough from a lot of people in the hospital to know what to say."

"The hospital?"

"You'd be surprised how many so called 'faithful' spouses leave because they can't stand seeing the other just rot away in front of them, and they know they can't do anything about it. And those who do stick around end up being patients as well for some stupid shit to be with the one they lost."

"How often do you see that?"

"Practically everyday."

"And it doesn't bother you?"

"Why should it? I don't relate to them."

"Don't you have someone to come visit you?"

"Not since I found you."

"Wait… you mean you don't have any family or friends?"

"Family is dead, and I never let the few people I do know about this."

"You isolated yourself so they don't feel sorry for you?"

"It's not as bad as you think. I even broke off a relationship so that I don't have someone to come through the door with that damn look on their face."

"You were in a relationship?"

"Wasn't I suppose to ask the questions here?"

"Answer me that one and you can ask me whatever you want."

He sighed as he relaxed on the couch. "Yeah. I was in a relationship before. But a bit after the accident, I told the person to fuck off and did about just everything until he left."

"He?"

"It's my turn to ask the questions here."

"…Okay…"

There was a moment of pausing silence before the older man took a deep breath. "Okay… What made you love the cheating asshole in the first place."

"Well… back in college, he was my roommate, and he cooks great food… He said that it was my vice to love food so much that it didn't matter that it was on the floor."

"You did that?"

"Yeah, I accidently spooked him, and he was making pancakes when he was doing one of those air flips and it landed on the floor." He giggled at the memory. "He said something , but I ate the half done pancake and it was the best one I've ever had." He smiled as he continued.

"I had a crush on him since then, but I told him I love him at the middle of the second semester. He didn't say anything, and I was pushy on the matter, but never did it out in public, since he was always flirting with the girls at the school."

"Doesn't that mean that he wasn't interested?"

He shook his head. "He only flirts, but he never took a girl out. He said he once worked as a host before, and the habit just stuck to him." He sighed. "By the end of the first year, he asked me out on a date. Since then we've been together up until almost two months now."

"And your ex best friend? How does he fit in this?"

"Well… we were in different colleges at that time, but on the breaks we have, I dragged Sanji to see Usopp, who was renting out a room with this woman who runs a daycare during the day. He was always great with the kids when he was around. Telling stories and getting them to do art projects… He's working on being an art teacher…" He sighed. "When I introduced the both of them… I guess that was the warning bell for me."

"Why's that?"

"Because after that, they argued about some things… Sanji with Usopp's paintings, and Usopp with Sanji's mushroom soup. He hates mushrooms. But after the breaks, they called almost constitly… I would talk to Usopp for about five minutes while Sanji talks to him for thirty minutes, sometimes an hour. I just figured that they were getting along."

"Then?"

He shrugged. "I didn't see anything wrong with either of them when we hang out… Sanji would usually give me a peck on the cheek out in public… and kiss me when we're alone… He never pressed going to the next step. And at that point I thought it was thoughtful of him, because I wasn't really ready for that…"

Silence filled the room before the man broke the silence.

"Do you still love him?"

He closed his eyes as he took in a shaky breath in. "I don't know… I still care about him, but I can't forget what he did. And it looked like it's been going on for sometime… that back stabber… But I can't help but still have feelings for him. Even today… I wanted to hug him when he got really close to me." He sighed. "I just want these feelings to go away now… Otherwise I'll break and go back to him before I'm ready."

"In other words you need to be distracted."

"I tried… At least I got my friends Nami and Vivi helping… But I know they're also looking for someone for me to hang out with. I just have to give them the word and it will be a trial date. Then there's you…"

"What about me?"

"You're nice, even when you act tough and cold. You also give me advice, even though this isn't your problem to handle."

"I question myself for that every time I talk to you."

He giggled. "I like it though… You help me get through this while distracting me for a bit."

"How do I distract you?"

"Well, for one thing, you're really cool to look at and interesting to talk to. I just like listening to you."

"I thought you had a problem with my monotone voice?"

"It was annoying for a while, but after being with you for some time, I just grew to like it a bit."

"You're strange."

"I know, but I like me."

"I guess there's nothing wrong with that… I've seen a lot of people who don't like themselves."

"I hope you're not one of them."

"Why's that?"

"Because there's nothing wrong with you, besides what you told me. But even that, I don't see why no one would be friends with you. But you explained your reason…"

The older man sighed as he looked at the clock. "I better get going…" He said as he got up.

"See you later. Thanks for dropping by."

"I know… And you're welcome…"

"Green Eyes?"

"Hm?"

"Am I an exception?"

"Huh?"

"Am I an exception? You said you don't let anyone, even people you know, come see you. But I see you, and you're not trying to threaten or hurt me when I come visit."

The man paused by the door as he looked back at the other. "Next time Luffy." He said as he walked out of the apartment.

Luffy just stared at the closed door and laid down on the couch, feeling the warmth where the other last sat down. "Later Green Eyes…"


	4. Evening with Grandpa

Chapter 4: Evening with Grandpa

*_+_*

The next day, Luffy was walking back to his apartment from work, but then decided to talk to Green Eyes. He was heading towards where his apartment was located when he saw the one of few people he did not want to see.

"Grandpa!?" He said as he froze in mid step.

"Ah! Luffy!" The elder, who looked well fit for an old man, called as he punched the man. "How are you today!"

Luffy dodged from the 'fist of love'. "Okay…" He said as he dodged a kick and another punch. 'Why does it always become a sparring match every time he visits?!' He thought as he managed to pass the elder behind him. "Sorry Grandpa! I got a prior engagement!"

"Oi! I come thousands of miles to see you!" The elder said as he got a punch in, causing the young man to be knocked down to the ground.

"Itte…" Luffy said as he sat up and rubbed the spot where he was hit. "Gomen. If you called ahead of time I would've set my plans differently."

"Well! You don't have a choice in the matter! I'm treating you to something to eat!"

"Eh? Where?"

"Like I would tell you!" The elder said as he trapped his grandson in a head lock and managed to blindfold the young man. "Now then! Let's go!"

Luffy dragged behind as he really wanted to talk to the green eyed man. 'Oh well, I get to eat and Gramps is paying, which is unusual.' He thought as he walked blindly.

_/\/\/\_

For a few minutes they walked out into the bitter autumn air, until Luffy felt the warmth of the inside of the building as well as the sound of people within the area. But he wasn't able to pull the blindfold off until he was seated.

"Alright Luffy! Take the silly thing off." His grandfather said with a bit of a laugh.

But as he did, he immediately recognized the restaurant and felt the sense of dread as he saw the fancy interior, the 'good' company by candle lit tables and glasses of wine.

"The Baratie?" He said.

"Yep! Your favorite place, right?"

"Not anymore…" He said, but the elder couldn't hear him and was chatting away about something that wasn't important.

"Good evening sirs,"

Luffy froze of the familiar voice and didn't dare look up to see the blonde chef, who was playing part of a waiter for the evening.

"How may I help you for this evening?"

As the elder started to voice out his order, the young man looked at the menu and just picked the soup.

_/\/\/\_

Throughout the night, the elder continued to talk about his job and what he has been doing while the young man was quiet throughout the whole meal.

"Excuse me." Luffy said as he got up and went to the bathroom. He didn't need to go, but he wanted to be where it was at least quiet.

He stared at his reflection and he concluded that he looked like hell. He turned on the water to wash his face as if it would erase the uncomfortable look he had on. He was looking for a paper towel to dry his face, only to feel some cloth on his face, gently drying his face, slowly.

He tried to back away from whoever was doing that, but he found himself backing up against the wall and realized that he was trapped.

"Luffy…"

He immediately recognized the voice and refused to open his eyes. "What do you want Sanji."

"To talk."

"For what? It's over Sanji."

"I know that."

"Then why?"

"Because I can't really forgive myself unless I know I am forgiven."

"Go to hell." He said as he felt hands on his shoulders and were gripped slightly.

"Look at me Luffy."

He didn't comply.

"Luffy. Look. At. Me."

"No…" He said quietly.

Sanji sharply let out air through his nose. "You can be such a child."

Luffy tensed when he heard that. "I rather be a brat than a liar." He said as he felt the grips on his shoulders get harder.

"Luffy! I'm being patient here, but right now I'm on my last strand."

"You want to hear it?" Luffy said as he glared at the other. "I will never forgive you!" He said with such quiet malice that it made the other back up. "And that's not even the worse part…" He said as he could feel his eyes starting to water. "Just leave already." He was shaking a little as he watched as the other leave the bathroom. He turned to see his reflection and saw the horrid look he had before turning into shock.

_/\/\/\_

After the meal, he said his farewell to his grandfather and walked down to the park, where he found a bench and sat down, numb to the world.

He didn't know how long he sat there, out in the cold and staring out into nothing. But he did hear someone talk to him and only took a few seconds to fully register that he was suppose to come back to the world. He looked at the speaker and saw that it was none other than Green Eyes.

"You look like hell." He said.

Luffy felt the tears come out and down his face, but did nothing to stop them as he felt the other's hand at the back of his head and brought him close to the strong chest. He heard the other speak, but he couldn't hear a thing through his sobs before darkness took over his consciousness.

_/\/\/\_

When he woke up, he saw the plain grey walls and white ceiling. He felt really warm and saw that there was an arm across his chest, which was followed by the sound of a loud snore and saw that he was once again in the man's room.

"Green Eyes?" He said as the other groaned, signaling that he was awake. "Why am I back in your room?"

"It was fucking late at night and I didn't want to end up being lost for hours looking for your damn apartment." Zoro said without opening his eyes. "Plus you looked like you went through some kind of hell."

"My Naval General of a grandpa dropped by unexpectantly, he took me to the only restaurant that I wanted to avoid at all costs, ran into Sanji again, and this time I told him that I would never forgive him…"

"But…" Zoro added as he slightly opened his eyes to look at the lost, hurt, and torn look of the other as he stared at the ceiling.

"I still have feelings for him… and I miss talking to Usopp…" He put a hand over his eyes. "I know they just want to talk, but I just can't forget that it never happened and be okay with it!"

"You're not supposed to…"

"Then why can't I stop loving that bastard!" He said as he grabbed a fistful of his own hair as he started crying. "I wish I haven't met that guy!"

"It's not like you were born with predicting the future. And that's just the harsh reality of relationships. And since this asshole is your first, if you can get over this then you're the one that's gaining the upper hand."

"What?"

"If you ever feel ready to get over this then you have just survived break-up hell."

Luffy sighed as he covered his eyes once again. "I just want to stop loving him already… Otherwise I may end up begging…" He said as he felt a shift in the bed.

"Don't open your eyes…" The man said as he was hovering above the young man as he grabbed the hand that was covering the other's eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm not going to kiss you or seduce you in anyway, if that's what you were thinking."

"Kinda…"

"I'm not, but I will try to get your mind off of whatever is in that head of yours."

"But-"

"No talking for a bit either." He said as he moved the hand to the other's side before bringing back up on the other's head and comb through the ebony mane. Then he lightly trailed his finger tips down the other's face to his jaw, where he continued to the neck.

Luffy, focusing on the hand's trail, shivered at some spots and even giggled at the ticklish spots. That's when he felt the other's warm breath on his neck, which he was sure that the other was just mere centimeters from his neck, before everything stopped and he was sure that he needed to go to the bathroom.

"Feel better?" The man asked, as if he hasn't done anything in the past few minutes.

Luffy blinked and realized what the other just successfully just do to him. "Yeah…"

"You might want to take care of your 'problem' there." He dully pointed out, as he mentioned the unusual tent on Luffy's side of the bed.

Luffy was red in the face as he got up and went to the bathroom. "Jerk!"

"You're welcome." He said as he yawned as he went back to sleep.

_/\/\/\_

Once he took care of his 'problem', he went out to see that the man went back to sleep. He looked to see that the time was about four in the morning.

'That early?' He thought as he was about to head into the living room when he heard his name.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To sleep on the couch."

The other opened one green eye sleepily. "Get back in bed. I'm not in the mood to drag your ass back." He said as he closed his eye and shifted so that he got comfortable.

He blinked, but he got back into bed, made himself comfortable, and looked at the other. "Arigato Green Eyes."

"Don't mention it… Ever."

Luffy smiled as he giggled a bit before settling down to sleep. "Still a jerk though…"

"Shut up…"

"A jerk with the coolest eyes…" Luffy managed to say before drifting to sleep.

The man opened his eyes to watch the peaceful look of the other, studying the other before closing his eyes once more and went back to a deep, dreamless sleep.


	5. Park Talk

Chapter 5: Park Talk

*_+_*

"How's your idiot so far?" The doctor/landlord asked the man as she looked at the blood bag from the donated blood he gave out that day.

He sighed as he took a gulp of his orange juice that the woman had out. "He's still around."

"Really? I figured you shook him off about a month ago."

He rolled his eyes. "That guy is not easy to shake off. But then he's also going through a shit load from the asshole."

"I never thought of you as the pity type."

"It's not pity. I give him advice to get over it, which I don't even think it's helping one bit. And he comes to me like a lost puppy!"

"Sounds like you like having him around."

He sighed. "I don't like the look he has when he's kicked back to square one in the getting over process."

The woman looked at her patient for a moment. "Why is this boy different from the others from the past?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

He sighed again as he laid back down on the cot. "I've been asking myself that damn question since day one."

"You know that if you get too attached to him…"

"I'm not… But I can't say the same for him though."

"What are you going to do about it? This… odd friendship you two have can't be good for either of you. With your heart condition, there's so much stress that it could handle before you give yourself a heart attack and possibly instant death. And if that were to happen, then the brat will become a patient here due to mental disorder."

"You don't know that…"

"I've been a doctor longer than you've been alive."

"Are you the reason why the dinosaurs were wiped out then?"

There was a moment of pausing silence before the doctor pointed at him. "You're damn lucky that you got that damn condition. Otherwise you would be hospitalized once I'm done with you."

"Am I free to go now?"

"About five minutes ago."

He got up and left the clinic room, only to see that the other was just heading towards the door.

_/\/\/\_

"Hi Green Eyes!" Luffy said happily when he saw the bandage on the other's arm. "Donate blood?"

"Yeah…" He said. "No work today?"

"Nope, they got enough help today."

"Oh."

"I was thinking we could walk around the park. We haven't done that in a while."

He shrugged. "Didn't kill me the first time."

"Oi!" Luffy said as he pouted.

"You sure you're twenty-five?"

"You sure you're twenty-seven?"

The man sighed. "Come on before we start arguing."

"Since when did we ever argue?"

He shook his head. "Forget it. Let's go."

Luffy smiled as he skipped at the man's side before just walking.

"Whose turn is it to ask questions?"

"Oh! My turn! I didn't get a chance to the other day."

"Right…"

"Okay, the easy questions first!" Luffy said happily as they walked all around the park, not realizing that there were two females who saw them together.

_/\/\/\_

"Nami? Isn't that Luffy?" Vivi asked as she pointed to where the two were.

Nami looked and confirmed that it was indeed their friend with a different man, and seemed really happy about it. "It is… That must be the guy that had Luffy's cell phone for a bit."

"Huh?"

"Remember when I told you about Luffy moving out of the apartment."

"Oh yeah, you told me that." She said as she looked at the two men. "Nami… doesn't Luffy seem a bit… settle?"

Nami looked as well and saw that the other was indeed a bit different. 'He's usually a bit clingy and dragging just about everyone everywhere. Not to mention he loves to run and chase. But he's just walking and actually talking and listening to another individual.' She looked at her girlfriend with a 'let's be evil' look.

Vivi, knowing the look too well, whined as she was dragged by the other woman as they tailed the other two, hiding behind the bushes as they did so.

_/\/\/\_

"Okay… So, your favorite color is green, you like to drink sake, you don't smoke, you used to ride motorcycles, you really don't like women, you had a boyfriend before, you like the fall season the best, and you used to do kendo." Luffy listed out what he learned so far.

"Anymore questions?"

"Well…"

"What? Not sure this time?"

"I'm thinking up some difficult questions here!"

"Don't hurt yourself."

"What does that suppose to mean?"

At this point the two girls were close enough to listen in on the two's conversation.

"I mean that being a simpleton like you, coming up with something like a difficult question may hurt that head of yours."

Luffy stuck his tongue out.

"Again, that's mature."

Luffy pouted as they stopped by a bench and sat down. "Well… what can you tell me about the guy you used to date?"

The two girls looked at each other, surprised to hear such a bold question.

"I guess it's only fair. Since I hear enough about the bastard from you." The man said as he took a pill and swallowed it whole and dry.

"Well, his name is Saga. He used to be my best friend growing up and it branched out a bit more when we entered middle school. We were never fully serious, you know… going 'all the way'. But we did have our moments together. But after the accident and learning about my condition…"

'Condition?' The girls were thinking the same thing as they listened to the mystery man's story.

"I told him every horrible thing to him that would make him go away and find someone else. The look on his face… I hated to see that, but it had to be done."

"Do you know what happened to him?"

"I heard he got himself a girl and he's happily married. And he still doesn't know about it."

"Do you still think of him?"

He shrugged. "Very faintly now, but it was hell for the first year and a half. I kept getting into the ER because I would think of him and my stupid heart would act up."

"But it's different with me?"

He sighed. "I don't know what to think of you." He said as he looked at the other. "I helped you out of the bar that night, gave you advice to teach that asshole a lesson, and still come to me when things get bad for you because you're not ready to forgive but may be in danger of giving in."

Luffy sighed as well. "Yeah… I do that. But that's because I trust you."

"You shouldn't."

"You're not too bad of an advisor."

"That's not what I mean." He said. "I mean you shouldn't trust me so much that I'm the only one that you can talk to these things about with. Don't you have friends to talk to these things with? Or your brother?"

"They know about my relationship to send a bounty on both their heads, especially Sanji's."

He sighed. "I can't really shake you off easily, can I?"

"Nope!"

"You didn't have to answer right away you know…"

"Huh? Why?"

"You could just think about it at least."

"What's there to think about? I like being around you. Like it or not!"

He sighed as he rubbed his temple. "Why do I bother?"

Luffy smiled as if he won the conversation.

The two girls were plain lost in the whole thing.

'So that mystery guy has a heart condition?' Nami thought. 'Why would Luffy hang out with someone that could die on him any minute?'

'What on earth did he mean by condition?' Vivi thought, thinking that conditions were usually serious enough to be bedridden at a hospital.

"Green Eyes…"

"Hm?"

"Never mind."

"Oi, this is your day to ask questions."

"Well…" Luffy said as he looked up at the sky. "It's about what you did this morning."

"Oh, that? Did it bother you?"

"No I liked it, but… why?"

He shrugged. "I hated the way you looked then."

"Huh?"

"The look you usually get when you get upset over something." He said as he swallowed another pill. "I just had enough of it."

Luffy blushed.

"Why? You enjoyed it that much?"

Luffy pouted as he stared at the clouds. "I did have a damn hard on!"

'NANI!?' The two women thought, both thinking about the same lines of hentai.

"Jeeze, all I did was lightly touch your face and told you some stupid crap that was suppose to make you feel better." He said. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're way too sensitive."

Luffy looked at the other with a pout. "I can't help it! Sanji never did that to me!"

"Then he's the lousiest ex-boyfriend in history if he can't even turn you on for something so little."

The girls were shocked to hear this. 'Who the hell is this guy?!' Both thought.

"I guess… we weren't that intiment, but we did kiss and cuddle."

"Anyone can do that." He said as he looked at the other. "Like I told you many times, I don't know crap about this kind of thing, but if one is going to make a relationship work then it will take a lot of energy. But this energy can be spared if one finds that one, little thing that turns the other on."

"Huh?"

He sighed. "I can't believe I'm telling you this crap." He said. "Okay, some couples are turned on by one ironing a shirt."

"But that's stupid."

"To you yes, but to someone else it's the hottest thing since going to the beach."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Sometimes it's the stupid little things that get the other. They just have to find what it is."

"How do they know that's what turns them on?"

"When one has the urge to kiss their significant other senseless."

"Oh! That makes sense!"

'And he's says he sucks at it.' The two girls thought.

"So… What do you see me as anyway?"

He took a deep breath as he thought about it. "Well… Considering that I'm unable to shake you off for months now, and that as long as you're still a wreak with this asshole… I guess we're kinda friends, but still acquaintances… Did that make any sense?"

Luffy smiled and nodded. "Yep!"

'That didn't make sense at all!' Nami thought, wanting to whack the man on the head.

"So you do like company."

"You're the only one who was dumb enough to seek me out."

"Oi!"

Then the man smiled a bit, and the other caught it.

"You're smiling!"

The smile disappeared. "What?"

"You were smiling! I saw it!"

"All that over something like that?"

Luffy smiled. "You look good with a smile!"

The man blinked. "Where are you getting at?"

Luffy smiled as he got off of the bench. "I just found my 'turn on' from you."

"Oi, we're not in a relationship."

Luffy stuck out his tongue. "So? I still like to see that smile again one of these days." He said as he placed his hands on his hips. "But until then, you're just going to have to deal with me for quite some time."

'There's the old Luffy.' The two girls thought.

"Don't get cocky with me, there's still a chance I may die tomorrow."

"Then I'm making sure I enjoy every second today." He said with a confident smile on his face.

He sighed as he got up as well. "Oh well, may as well enjoy the ride as well."

_/\/\/\_

As the two walked towards the exit of the park, the two girls got out from the bushes and stared at the two.

"Vivi… It looks like we're going to have a chat with Luffy." Nami said.

"Are you sure Nami?"

"He can't handle another heartbreak, you know that."

"Yeah, but it seems like he already knows."

"We'll just see…"


	6. Match?

Chapter 6: Match? 

*_+_*

After Luffy got back to his apartment, Nami and Vivi made their move and knocked on the door. The man opened the door to see the two women. "Hey! This is a surprise!" He said as he let the two in. "What's going on?"

Vivi didn't look too sure how to come out with it, but Nami went straight to the point.

"Luffy, just who was that guy you were talking to at the park?"

Luffy blinked as he closed the door. "You mean Green Eyes?"

"Yeah…" Vivi said. "Are you two…?"

"Huh? Oh! No, nothing like that! He's a really good friend."

"Doesn't look like it from our viewpoint." Nami said. "Plus we heard what you two were talking about."

"Huh? Like what?"

"How he was being a pervert."

"Green Eyes isn't a pervert, Nami. He can't handle something like that anyway."

"That leads to my next question." Nami said. "What's this 'condition' that the guy mentioned? Does he have AIDS or something?"

"No!" Luffy said as his patience was dwindling. "It's his heart! He can't get too excited or startled or he'll have a heart attack, or worse!"

Nami was taken aback a bit from the snappish response.

"Uh…" Vivi started to say. "If it's a serious condition, why is he not in a hospital?"

Luffy sighed. "Because he's able to live like normal people, but he has to follow strict living condition requirements." He said.

"Why are you hanging around with someone like him then?" Nami asked.

"Cause I like him. And he doesn't know much about Sanji enough to kill him like the rest of you. Plus I owe him for helping me out."

"But Luffy…" Vivi started as her girlfriend finished.

"We saw the way you were acting around him. And we're worried about you having another heartbreak."

"I know you are." Luffy said with a sense of calm that surprised the two women. "When I heard that he may die at any moment, I was surprised that a guy like that would die for even the slightest major stressor. But then he helped me have the courage to tell Sanji off and kick him out, and then move out of that apartment." He smiled. "And the more time I spend with him, the better I feel about this. And I think I'm doing some good for him too by spending time with him and just talk. I don't have to do anything else other than that."

The two women saw the relaxed posture of the man and they shared a look that said 'maybe this isn't a bad thing after all'.

However Nami was a bit concerned. "And what will happen if he ever dies?"

Luffy leaned up against the wall. "I really didn't want to think that, but I do." He said. "I think what I would do if that does happen, if I would end up being a patient at the hospital like some others he witnessed happened, or do I just go on with my life as it is?" He sighed. "And every time I see him, I feel such a great relief that he's still here and not gone for good."

"But you know that it can't be like that forever, right?"

Luffy nodded as he went into the kitchen. "Want anything?"

"No…" Nami said.

"Uh…" Vivi started. "How long have you two known each other?"

"Around the same length since my breakup with Sanji." He answered.

"Oh… So… is he waiting for a transplant?"

"Dunno…"

"You don't know?"

"He didn't seem hopeful of the idea of having a transplant." He said.

"So he's just waiting to die?"

Luffy finished his glass of milk as he thought about it.

"You don't have to answer…" Vivi said. "It was a bit too personal…"

"We better get going." Nami said. "We're heading to a club. Wanna come?"

"Thanks but I'm really not in a party mood."

"We're sorry."

"Don't worry, it's not you guys. You're just worried about me." He said with a smile. "I'm glad that you are, but I can handle some things on my own."

"Okay, if you're sure." Vivi said as they exited out of the apartment.

"Wanna go home instead?" Nami asked.

"Yeah…

Luffy stared at the countertop for sometime before grabbing his jacket and walked out of his apartment and headed to the hospital.

_/\/\/\_

Dr. K was checking up on patients that were recovering from the latest surgery when she got a note that she has someone scheduled an appointment with her in the next hour.

When the scheduled time came, she entered the clinic office and saw Luffy sitting in the chair. "Oh, it's the brat. You plan on bothering me as well?"

"I want to know if my heart will be okay for Green Eyes."

She looked serious. "I won't take it if you plan on killing yourself."

"I'm not, but if he needs it I'll be happy to give it."

She sighed harshly as she sat down on a chair across from him. "Does he know?"

"No, I just thought about it about two hours ago."

"This isn't something to take lightly!"

"I know that!"

"Brat! Even if your heart is a good match to save his life, what will become of you?"

"I'll take his."

She was dumbfounded. "I've seen his heart before, and it's a damn miracle that he's even still alive this long."

"I know that."

"Then why?"

"He's been alone and wasting away for ten years. If anything I want to give him a chance of life."

"You sound like a man about to die."

"At least run a test to see if my heart may be a good match to his."

She sighed. "Fine! But don't get your hopes up!" She said as she led him to a lab, ran some blood samples and shooed him out of the office.

While she watched him go, she grabbed the files for her current patient and ran some tests. When she got the results, she almost couldn't believe it.

"The brat is a good match to the idiot." She said as she ran another test, which she grew even more surprised. "And the idiot is a good match to the brat!"

She thought about it as she looked at the results, raking her brain with medical possibilities and possible tests to see if it was truly likely.

She called up the front desk and asked for an appointment for her patient for a specific time that was earlier than usual and for the young man in the later time.

"I really hate blood tests…" She said as she grabbed her half full box of cigarettes and went outside to smoke off the stress. "Why do I always end up with the most annoying brats in the world?"


	7. Green Eye's Day

Chapter 7: Green Eye's Day

*_+_*

The man known as Green Eyes woke up at six and was sleepily glaring at his doctor/landlord. "Why the hell do you have me up at this hour?" He said. "I gave you blood the other day!"

"This is for a test for a possible donor."

"Huh? The guy wants to commit suicide or something?"

"That's what I thought as well, but that's not the case."

He yawned. "Must realize he doesn't have long to live or something." He said as he got onto the table with a mat on it and laid down, have the needle stuck onto the opposite arm that was used last time.

"It's a good thing you have an unusual tolerance to blood lost."

"Maybe that's the reason I'm still alive."

"You know the process." She said as she went to the small fridge and took out orange juice and some breakfast bars.

When he was done he waited until he was unhooked , bandaged, and took the small snack/breakfast and waited for a few minutes before going back up to his apartment to gain back some lost sleep.

_/\/\/\_

Luffy had to work that day so he woke up and stared at the dull grey wall for a few minutes before getting up and going into the living room to watch some television before deeming it useless to watch something he wasn't interested in.

He looked around his plain, lifeless apartment and thought back what he usually do on days like this when the other wasn't in here yapping away like there's no tomorrow. He thought about the questions he would like to ask the other the next time they meet up, he went over his chakra exercise which helped him become a bit focused on himself, and he ate his lunch that was warmed up in the microwave.

He looked outside the balcony window, which he couldn't open in the first place due to some patients committing suicide by jumping off the balcony, and saw that it was a beautiful sunny day. A kind of day his sort of friend would gladly enjoy. He went up to the glass pane and felt that the glass was warm when he placed his hand on it. He decided then that it wouldn't kill him to take a stroll in the park.

_/\/\/\_

He usually wouldn't go out to the park unless it was dark, and there were less people around, but the day was nice and everyone was mostly at work at the moment and the kids at school. So the only thing he expected to see were mothers and their children that were not at the age where they can go to school for many hours. And that's what he mostly saw as well as some dogs with their owners and old women feeding birds.

He had been walking around the park for some time and started to feel sleepy. He found an isolated grassy spot where he can take a nap and not be bothered by anyone. And it was a sunny spot as well, so he will enjoy a warm cat nap.

About an hour later he woke up and saw that the sun has moved into a different position, leaving him in the shade of the trees, and he got up to go back to his apartment.

_/\/\/\_

When he got there, he saw the young man with a sack and looking really worried as he continued to knock on the door.

"Luffy?" He said as he walked up to the other.

"Oh! Green Eyes! There you are!" Luffy said while not even hiding the fact that he was really happy to see the man before him. "Did you go out?"

"I walked around the park, took a nap, and came back here to see you."

Luffy sighed a relief. "Man… I really thought something might've happened and no one was going to tell me."

"You were worried?"

Luffy pouted. "Of course I was! Why wouldn't I worry about my friends?"

"Okay, okay, you made your point." He said as he pointed to the sack. "What's that?"

"Oh! I figured you would like something different for dinner. So I made something and came here to share it with you."

"You cook?"

"No, not really."

"This your first time?"

"Yep!"

"What is it?"

"Uh…" Luffy said as he looked into the sack, which didn't make the other man feel comfortable. "Well… I put in a lot of noodles and some of that white, creamy sauce… and there are some vegetables I warmed up and put in, and those bacon bits that are used on salads, which I thought it was kinda stupid…"

The man sighed as he opened the door to his apartment. "If I die from your cooking, you're paying for my funeral."

"Oi! I taste tested it myself! It's good!"

"You eat off the floor and still say it's good."

"I also ate raw meat once."

"And you didn't get sick?"

"Nope."

"You're not human…" He said as he took out some plates. "But you did go through the trouble of cooking. I bet your kitchen looks like a storm hit."

"Yeah! How did you know?"

"Lucky guess…" He said as the other brought out a huge plastic bowl with a lid, which was opened to show the over cooked noodles, thick cream sauce, and vegetables that looked like they've been in boiling water for too long. 'Is it really edible?' He thought as the other put some on his plate. 'Why did I agree to eat this?' He stared at the mass on his plate, grabbed his chopsticks, thanked the meal and took a bite.

Luffy watched in anticipation of the other's reaction to his cooking. He was no chef like his ex had been, but he thought he did pretty well.

The man chewed for a good ten seconds before swallowing. "Needs a bit more salt and some kind of seasoning." He said. "Plus the noodles needs less time in the water, easy on the sauce, and the same goes for the vegetables. But other than that it's not bad."

Luffy smiled, liking the sound of it. "That's great to hear!" He said as he chowed down on his portion, cleaned his plate, and started to talk about his day and asked about the other's day.

The man noticed the change in atmosphere since the other arrived. It was a nice change to him as the other continued to talk about so many crazy things he has done with the kids.

"Oh! Today is your day to ask questions Green Eyes!" Luffy said happily.

"That it is, but I'm not in the mood."

Luffy pouted. "Come on! I like the question game!"

"Game?"

"I see it as a game, because we take turns and we learn things from one another." Luffy said with a smile. "Sure, some questions are a bit tough to answer than others, but it's a good way to get over things and enjoy things that we're able to look forward to now. Right?"

"How so?"

"Well, I'm still getting over Sanji and Usopp, which is actually getting easier now."

"Really?"

"Not to the point of forgiving them, but to the point where I don't have to run away anymore."

"That's good."

"Yeah! And I feel that, because we have this game, I'm able to enjoy things that I know Sanji would completely be put off by. And with that I'm able to heal in a way that I can talk about him without feeling so hurt and still enjoy the moment."

The man watched and did see that the other changed for the good since the first time he saw him.

"You did look better the last few days." He admitted.

"And I think you got some good out of it as well!"

"Huh?"

"You were so used to be alone before you helped me out, then I wouldn't leave you alone, and here we are!"

"And here we are." He said with a small smile.

"You're smiling again."

The smile disappeared once more. "Huh?"

Luffy smiled. "Definitely worth it."

"You're strange."

"And proud of it!"

"I bet the kids love you when you come."

"Practically bulldozed over by them!" He said with a laugh that made the other smile. "Smile!"

"Would you quit doing that?" He said, but the smile was still there.

Luffy smiled as he quit pointing it out. "So, what questions do you have for me?"

"I've been asking you questions since you got here."

"Really?" He said as he thought about it, which he looked surprised when he thought about it. "You have!"

"Baka…" He said as he finished his meal. "You have work tomorrow?"

"Yep, I got in for a late shift this time."

"So you won't be home until late?"

"About nine, but it's all good. I get the day off the next day."

"That's good to know."

Luffy nodded as he gathered the items he brought with him while the other got the dishes and placed them in the sink.

"I better get going if I want to go to work early." Luffy said as he and the other were walking towards the door.

"Thanks for the meal, Luffy."

Luffy nodded. "You're welcome. I'll try to get better next time. Later Green Eyes!"

He nodded as he watched the other heading towards the elevator, only to stop him. "Oi Luffy! One last question!"

Luffy turned to face the other. "Yeah?"

"Would you like to know my real name? Or are you comfortable just calling me 'Green Eyes'?"

Luffy walked up to the man and held out his hand. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy, age twenty-five, blood-type AB positive."

The man picked up on it and grabbed the other's hand. "Roronoa Zoro, age twenty-seven, blood-type AB positive."

With a single shake the young man laughed while the other smiled.

_/\/\/\_

Back in Dr. K's lab, she had got the blood from the young man not too long ago and was now testing to see how the small sample of the two bloods are mixed together.

After midnight, she had came up with a conclusion.

"This might just work…" She said with a sigh. "Now it's just a matter of time…"


	8. Day of Forgiveness?

Chapter 8: Day of Forgiveness?

*_+_*

It was finally Luffy's day off from work and he was about to head to the other's apartment complex when his phone went off.

"Hello? Monkey residence."

"Luffy! It's Nami!"

"Hey Nami!" He said. "What's going on?"

"Well, Vivi and I were planning to see a movie. Would you and your friend like to come? The theater has a deal that if we bring more than two people we have a discount on the tickets."

"Okay, I'll ask him. Which theater are you guys going?"

"The one near the mall at the south end of town."

"Oh! Okay!"

"Call me to give me the heads up!"

"Okay, talk to you later!" He said as he hung up, grabbed his cell and ran out of his apartment to meet up with the man.

_/\/\/\_

At the front of the theater, both Nami and Vivi were waiting for the two men.

"Geeze…" Nami said as she looked at her watch for the tenth time. "Those guys are late."

"I'm pretty surprised that Luffy's friend was able to come. Since he has that condition."

"Don't worry Vivi, I'm sure he'll fall asleep. We are watching a chick flick after all." She said as she heard a familiar call of her name. "Here he is." She looked to see that the two were walking towards them.

"Glad you can make it!" Vivi said.

"Though a snail would've been faster than you two."

"Sorry Nami, I got us lost on the way here." Luffy said with a bit of a laugh.

"We going?" Zoro asked, looking like he's ready to take a nap.

"Just have to get the tickets." Nami said as they went up to the ticket stand, only to see two people at the next window purchasing the same tickets.

"Sanji? Usopp?" Luffy said, a bit surprised to see them as well.

"Luffy?" The two said as they saw the angry looks of both women and a blank stare from the man.

"Uh… How's it going?" Sanji said first.

"Fine, how are you?" Luffy said casually.

"W-Well…"

"That's good!" Luffy said with a smile as he looked at Usopp. "What about you Usopp?"

"U-Uh… O-Okay…"

"Great!" Luffy said, still smiling. "Looks like we're going to see the same movie."

"We don't have to go to this theater though." Nami said with some venom, which the two men picked up. "We can go to another one."

"It's okay Nami." Luffy said with a reassuring calm. "The theatres are usually dark when the movie starts anyway." He went up to the ticket counter and asked for four tickets.

Nami, Vivi, Sanji, and Usopp were dumbfounded at the other's mature way of handling things.

Nami looked at the green haired man with a wary eye.

Zoro on the other hand was a little proud that the other was able to handle it well, but he also sensed a little bit of discomfort that still lingered. When the other gave them their tickets and went into the building, he held the other's hand for a moment, gave it an assured squeeze before releasing it and had his hand back to his side.

Luffy was a bit confused when the other did that, but he was glad that the other was letting him know that he was there if he needed comfort.

He didn't expect to run into his ex boyfriend and ex best friend, but he didn't want to run away for something that seemed silly. He also had Zoro with him, so he was able to handle it with the other looking at him.

_/\/\/\_

Once they got into the room where the movie was supposed to be playing they picked out their seats and waited for the movie to start. There was an uncomfortable atmosphere before the movie started, but once the lights were dimmed to barely on, that sensation was gone and only the movie was important.

Zoro, since he didn't care much for the movie in itself, grabbed the other's hand and just gave it a bit of a squeeze as he drifted off to sleep.

Luffy looked at the man he had come to know for months and felt a sense of calm as he returned the grip and continued to watch the movie.

_/\/\/\_

When the movie ended, he had to carefully wake the other up, which didn't take too much effort as the other did wake up and they went out of the theatre to meet up with the two girls, but he also saw the other two men start to walk out.

"You ready?" Zoro asked knowingly.

Luffy didn't have to look at the other to know that the other was asking if he was ready for forgive or needed time. And he knows that he wasn't being rushed. "Wait here a minute, okay?"

Zoro nodded as he let go of the other's hand and walked up to the two women.

"What's going on?" Vivi asked.

"Just Luffy finally ready to forgive and receive forgiveness."

Nami glared. "Those two should never even be forgiven for any reason."

"That's your way of handling things." He said as he watched the other talk to the men that have surprised yet hopeful looks on their faces. "Luffy has held on to the bitter feeling long enough for him to heal and find that core reason to have the power to forgive."

"But they're the ones that hurt him."

"That's true, but sometimes there are exceptions to the rule when it comes to healing fully." He said. "Would you rather live a bitter life based on the past? Or would you forgive the ones that done you wrong and be able to move on."

The two men seemed to break down while Luffy continued to smile and talk as if it was a light and casual conversation between friends before he waved and left them to join the other three.

"I'm hungry! Are we going out?" He asked.

Nami saw that her friend did seem a lot better than the months before and that he seemed to be lighter than air as he looked eagerly at her. She smiled as she placed her hands on her hips. "Well! I do happen to know a pizza place near here. And you did pay for the tickets."

"Yay!" Luffy said happily as they walked out of the building.


	9. Good Terms

Chapter 9: Good Terms

*_+_*

A good month went by and Luffy was out with both Sanji and Usopp. The atmosphere around them was an awkward one, but Usopp would try to lighten the mood with his tall tales, which would make Luffy laugh and Sanji to be a bit of a critic.

"So… uh… Luffy…" Sanji started. "How have you been doing since… you know?"

"Well… I've made a friend and that made things very easy." He said.

"Is he the guy with the green hair?" Usopp asked. "And looks kind of scary?"

"Yep! Roronoa Zoro. And he's not scary!" Luffy said as he playfully punched the long nosed man.

"What kind of guy is he?" Sanji asked.

"Huh? You're not jealous are you?"

"It's not like that moron."

"We're just friends Sanji. I'm not going into any relationship for some time."

"Luffy…"

"It's fine guys. Now that I think about it, I practically forced Sanji to be my boyfriend because you can cook great food."

"It's a good quality to have." Usopp said.

"Oi!"

Luffy laughed before continuing. "But now I have to take it easy for a bit until I'm ready to start dating someone else. Now that I don't feel bitter about you two."

The two men looked at the other with some guilt but knew that the other was going to do just fine.

"Well… If you ever do start dating," Sanji said as he took a cigarette. "You better let all of us know so we can tell him just how lucky the bastard is to be dating you."

"Sanji…" Luffy whined.

"I may have screwed up, but that doesn't mean I don't care."

"Same here." Usopp said. "And the last thing we want from you is you hurting."

Luffy smiled. "Thanks guys." He said as he looked at his watch. "Oh! I better get going to work. See ya!"

"Take care Luffy!"

"See you around!"

_/\/\/\_

While Luffy waved to the two, the men continued to look at the other until he disappeared from their vision.

"He's grown up a bit." Usopp said.

"Yeah…" Sanji said with a bit of a chuckle. "But he's still a happy go lucky moron."

"That's just Luffy." Usopp said with a sigh. "For awhile there, I thought I would never laugh with him again, you know?"

Sanji nodded. "I didn't think there was even a chance to tell him that I'm sorry. I'm okay if I could just say that… but then I realized that it wasn't the case." He said as he took out a lighter, lit up the tip of the cigarette, put the lighter back into his pocket, took a drag before letting it out through his parted lips. "I was selfish to think that I would be okay with saying sorry… What about Luffy? At that point I realized that I wanted to be forgiven and know that he'll be okay. And for a long time I thought it was never going to happen."

"Yeah…" Usopp said as he took a deep breath. "Well, at least he's happy now. And I think this Zoro guy may have been a great help."

"I guess… Though it's weird that his hair looks like a moss ball."

"And you're going to kill yourself with that cancer stick in your mouth."

The two looked behind to see the man standing there.

"How long were you standing there?" Sanji asked.

"Just long enough to hear what you guys have to say about me. Now if you will excuse me…" He said as he went pass the two to continue walking. "I have a grave to visit."

"A grave?" Usopp asked.

"Oi!" Sanji called, making the other stop walking. "You better not tug on Luffy's heart!"

Zoro turned to look at the man. "And end up like you?" He said dully. "We're just friends… It wouldn't do good for either of us if it went farther than that." He said as he turned away and continued to walk away from the two.

"The hell?" Sanji said a bit pissed off that the other slightly insulted him.

"He sounds like he's going to a funeral." Usopp said.

Sanji took another drag and let it out. "Whatever… it sounds like his intentions is good enough."

"Still scary to me though." Usopp said. "But if Luffy is okay with him then he can't be all that bad."

"Yeah… Luffy has that way with people." Sanji said. "Even if they did screw up one way or another."

"Would you cut that out already? He's forgiven us and we're back to being friends… well we're actually dating but you know what I mean!"

Sanji smiled as he grabbed the other's hand. "Yeah… I get it."

Usopp smiled as he returned the grip as they continued to walk down the street.


	10. Lunch Talk

Chapter 10: Lunch Talk

*_+_*

Luffy went up to Zoro's apartment room with a bag with his latest cooking attempt. He knocked rapidly on the door and waited for about five seconds before knocking again.

"I'm coming Luffy!" Zoro said through the door before opening it. "This is a surprise." He added with a yawn.

"Were you taking a nap?"

"I was."

"Gomen! I brought us lunch!"

"You were cooking again?"

"Yep!"

"What's on the menu this time?" He asked as he let the other in.

"Stir fried fish!"

"What kind of fish?"

"Well… I got the tuna one."

"Okay." He said as he closed the door and headed to the kitchen to take out the plates. "What else is in it?"

"Vegetables, rice and soy sauce."

"Sounds simple enough." He said. "Last time you did something completely different."

"Yeah, I thought it was easy to throw something in. But Sanji said I have to get myself a cook book if I'm serious about cooking."

"And you did?"

"Yep! Cooking Basics for Dummies."

Zoro smiled when he heard that. "So you admit that you're an idiot?"

Luffy stuck out his tongue, which caused the other to chuckle. "Wow…"

When Zoro stopped chuckling he looked at the other. "Nani?"

"You sound nice when you chuckled." He said with a smile.

"Don't say such stupid things." Zoro said with a bit of pink on his cheeks as he set the plates down. "What would you like to drink?"

"Milk if you got any."

"Got it." He said as he went back to grab two glasses and found his prescription bottle to swallow a pill before pouring their drinks into the glasses.

Luffy put the latest mass of food on the plates when the other came out with their drinks.

"Thanks for the meal." Zoro said as they started to eat, which Luffy finished his in a matter of a minute.

"So… How many of those pills do you usually take?"

"Depending on the day… Six at the most but I usually take one or two each day."

"How come?"

"To keep my heart from stressing out too much."

"What do they do?"

"If I sense that my heart is going to act up, I take one, wait five minutes for it to work, and I would usually take a nap or sit somewhere for a half an hour before continuing what I was doing a moment ago."

"Has it ever gotten so bad?"

"Like I've told you before, the first two years were hell, but I got a hold on it now."

Luffy smiled knowing that the other was okay as he looked around the apartment. "Naa, do all the apartments look like this?"

"Hm?"

"Do all the apartments look dull like this?"

Zoro shrugged. "How the hell should I know? I preferred it this way."

"Why?"

"Too much work and I'm not patient enough to paint the whole damn room."

Luffy blinked as he continued to look at the apartment.

"Does it bother you?" Zoro asked.

"Well… the first time I saw your apartment after I got better, I thought it was so… lifeless. It really made me uncomfortable. But now it doesn't really bother me as much but it wouldn't hurt to have some color here."

Zoro looked at his apartment as well before shrugging it off. "If you feel the need to paint, go for it. Just make sure the windows are open. You don't want to end up killing me with paint fumes."

Luffy stuck out his tongue. "Like I would do that!"

Zoro smiled as he finished his plate. "I have to say, you definitely improved since last time."

Luffy smiled. "That's good!"

"Maybe I should make something for you for a change."

Luffy chuckled. "I would like that. Then I could see how good a cook Zoro is compared to me."

"Don't get to cocky with me, baka." Zoro warned as he pointed to him, which the other just laughed.

_/\/\/\_

As they put their stuff away, they settled down on the couch and watched something about pirates of the Caribbean.

"When I was a kid, I wanted to grow up to be a pirate." Luffy said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I would always think about traveling around out at sea, picking up a crew along the way and go out to find treasure and kick ass."

"You still think like that?"

"Yeah! Even though it'll never happen, I will never give up on that. In a way I am a pirate to the kids where I work. The other staff would have to hide candy and other treats somewhere and I would lead them to look for it while the other staff members play a role of monsters and what not for them to fight their way through. We even have a few days where we have to save someone from the monsters." He chuckled. "It's a great way to get their confidence up, have teamwork, and be a better person in the future by never losing a dream and always help others, even if they never wanted help in the first place."

"Sounds like you're a very motivational person to those kids."

Luffy chuckled. "I don't know about that…" He said as he leaned back on the couch. "But those kids need someone who can look up too, and to let them know it's okay to be a little crazy if it could make someone smile." He looked at the other with a smile. "It took me a while before I could see you smile."

Zoro blinked before he grinned and trapped the other in a head lock. "You baka…" He said as he gave the other a noggie.

Luffy laughed as he tried to get out. "Zoro!"


	11. First Mate?

Ahh! It's been awhile!

Zoro: Not that long...

You just don't care!

Zoro: I got your damn reviews.

Gimme!

Zoro: (takes out first one) From Kira-chan...

I know, I know…

Zoro: (takes out another) From MaiAkemi...

New one! Thank you!

Zoro: (takes out another) From Iry-san...

Of course!

Zoro: (takes out another) From Soge-san...

In chapter 3, I know… It killed me when I have to do that. For chapter 4, really? Huh… Maybe I do have a knack for SanUso material. I guess it's a bit of a switch then, huh? And chapater 5 Yes, it does hurt.

Zoro: (takes out another) From Softdreamer...

New one! Well, I try to get a lot of chapters up, but you know how life throws a crap ball at you and you need the human time. XP

Zoro: That's one way to put it...(takes out another) From Black rose pirate...

You'll see, and it's not cloning…

Zoro: (takes out another) From Gino-san...

Neither do I most of the time.

Zoro: (takes out another) From Mimi-chan...

For chapter 3, just have to find out. Chapter 4, agreed, but then some people are like that. They give one some space and after a while come around and realize that their timing is off and it backfires. Chapter 5, don't worry! Chapter 6, I know! I saw something on television one day and there was a similar story with a guy donating his kidney to his friend. Goes to show that there is still hope for this world. Chapter 7, I loved doing that chapter, I was laughing while I was typing it up. Chapter 8, yep, it's just about the right time. Chapter 9, you'll find out in later chapters. Chapter 10, he was just suggesting it, but in one of these next five chapters he actually does it and he has help.

Zoro: That took some time.(takes out another) From Dreamkitty26...

New one! Aren't they?

Zoro: Oi! (takes out another) From Dreamers0rule0the0earth...

Please don't hurt me…

Zoro: Wow, double personalities, you get strange reviewers. (takes out another) From Yukino89...

New one! Here's five chapters.

Zoro: (takes out last one) From Anime-jdorama-addict...

New one! Just have to find out!

Zoro: Are you going to start now?

Yep! (presses the start button)

* * *

Chapter 11: First Mate?

*_+_*

Zoro woke up to see that it was snowing outside and he could feel the drop in temperature in his room.

"Shit…" He said as he rubbed his arms. "Forgot to raise the temperature here…" He walked out of his bed, only to smell something.

He followed the scent to the kitchen where he saw Luffy cooking something in his kitchen. "Morning."

Luffy looked to see the other and smiled. "Morning Zoro! Did I wake you?"

He shook his head. "No, the cold did." He said as he sat down at the table. "Don't you have work today?"

"I do, but it's not for another hour, so I decided to make both of us some breakfast."

"You were on your way?"

"Yep." He said as he turned off the burner and took out a spatula.

"What's on the menu?"

"Just scrambled eggs, toast and bacon."

"Sounds like a simple breakfast."

"I would've added potatoes, but you don't have any."

"Wait, you used my food?"

"Sorry, I didn't want to wander around in the cold and it seemed like a good idea to make breakfast for the both of us anyway."

"You didn't have breakfast this morning or something?"

"Nope. I thought I was running late, turns out my clock was an hour earlier than normal."

"How did that happen?"

"It was set at an angle. Turns out the alarm clocks are messed up if they were set at an angle for a long period of time."

"Ah." Zoro said as the other put the food on the plate and brought them out to the table. "Thanks for the food." He said before started eating. "Not bad."

"Thanks." Luffy said as he looked at the time. "I better get going." He finished his breakfast and was about to hurry to grab his jacket before the other spoke.

"Would you mind if I sit in?"

"Huh?"

"Come over and just watch how you run your work place."

Luffy blinked before smiling. "That would be great! The kids would love to meet you!"

"I don't know about that."

"They will, I know it."

"Just let me get dressed." He said as he got up.

"Okay, I'll wait."

He got up, went into his room, dressed, took care of personal business, and walked out to see Luffy waiting by the door.

"Ready?"

He smiled as he mentioned him to lead.

_/\/\/\_

Once they reached a building, they entered and they were greeted with warmth and an older woman waiting by the desk.

"Morning, Luffy-kun, we were wondering where you were."

"Sorry, I had to visit a good friend of mine."

"This handsome gentleman the friend?"

"Yep!" He said as he turned to the other. "Zoro, this is Nico Robin, she's like my boss here." He turned to the woman. "This is Roronoa Zoro, the guy I've been telling you about."

"Oh! Roronoa-san!" She said. "So this is the savior of our beloved captain."

"Oi…oi…" He said.

"Captain Luffy!" Said one of the kids. "You made it!"

"Yeah! The snow was a lot deeper than I thought!" He said with a laugh. "Did something happen before I came?"

The kid then went off about something about finding a treasure map, which the older woman giggled and Luffy went into captain mode.

"Well! What are we waiting for?"

"Captain, who's the scary guy with you?"

"Who? Zoro? He's not scary."

"Is he the recovering wounded first mate you talked about?"

"Yep!" He said as he looked at Zoro. "Zoro, this is one of my top officers for the crew."

"Oh, I remember you telling me that." Zoro said, playing along. "So, you're making sure the captain doesn't get into trouble while I was recovering?"

"Yep! But he's a bit of a handful."

"Hey!" Luffy said as the other chuckled.

"Sorry Captain, but it's the truth."

"Oh well! Let's get going on the treasure."

"Yeah!" The kid said as he led them to the room with the other kids. "Captain is here, and so is the First Mate!"

"Since when was I the first mate?" Zoro whispered.

"Well, I've always mentioned having one, but Sanji didn't want to play the part of it, so I just left it at that."

"Just 'First Mate' and no other name?"

"Right. That was the case until you and I became friends officially."

"When was that?"

"When you told me your name." He said with a smile as everyone gathered around to meet Zoro.

"You're still recovering, First Mate?" Asked a little girl.

"Yeah, I am." Zoro said as he continued to play along.

"From what?" Asked a boy.

Zoro looked at Luffy. "Should I show them, Captain?"

"I don't think that's necessary." Luffy said as he looked at Robin.

"Why not?" Some of the kids complained.

Zoro looked at Luffy and shrugged. "Okay… But it's not pretty." He said as he took off his shoes and socks and showed them his scarred ankles.

"Whoa! What happened?" Were the collective responses from the kids.

"I was fighting these guys that had Captain and I was close to finding out where they kept him when one of them caught me."

"What happened after that?"

"I was then put into this wax-like puddle which became hard like rock within seconds, so I wouldn't escape."

"No!"

"Yeah, and I knew if I didn't get out, then they would do something to the Captain. So I took my two swords and I was close to cutting off both of my feet off."

There was a loud gasp from the kids.

"And then what happened!?" Asked a boy.

"Well, I only made it half why when Captain came running out like a crazy person and beat the guys up."

"How did you get out?" Asked a girl.

"Well, since I was in wax, the only way to get me out was to burn the wax down. But Captain decided to be reckless and had the whole place go up in flames. Luckily the wax started getting soft before I started to burn up. So once that was done, we ran out of there and got back onto the ship, which I had to lecture Captain here about being a little less reckless about things like that. But then again he hardly listens to me."

The kids laughed on that. "Yeah, that's true! He hardly listens to us either!"

"Does it still hurt when you walk, First Mate?"

Zoro shook his head. "Not as much anymore, but we came across a doctor sometime back and well… She told me to not do anything reckless for awhile. But I was never good with following doctor's orders."

The kids laughed at that as their game started with Luffy leading the kids and Zoro surveying from the end of the line.

_/\/\/\_

When the day ended and the kids returned home, the two men headed to Luffy's apartment.

"Since you cooked in my kitchen, I'm cooking in yours."

"Sounds fair." Luffy said with a laugh. "I'm glad you came today."

"It was fun, the kids seemed really happy."

"That's my treasure every time I walk in there." He said. "And I think the kids really like you."

"Yeah, they do." He said as he seemed quiet.

"I didn't see the scars on your ankles before…"

"That's because the one on my chest is much more impressive." He said it with a bit of sarcasm.

"Well… yeah, but I didn't know about your ankles."

"It's just going to be the same story."

"Oh… You got them from that accident."

"Hai…" He said as they made it to the other's apartment. "Shit it feels like it's been awhile since the last time I was here."

"It was!" He said with a laugh.

Once they entered the room, they made themselves comfortable before Zoro looked around the kitchen and planned out what he should make when the phone rang.

"I got that." Luffy said as he answered it. "Monkey speaking." He said when he laughed. "Hey Nami, how's it going?" He continued to talk as he made his way to the couch.

'He's going to be there awhile.' Zoro thought as he got things out and started to cook.

_/\/\/\_

An hour later Luffy was done talking to his friend and sighed.

"You two took awhile."

"She was talking to me about some available guys she found while shopping." He said with a laugh. "But I'm pretty damn content being like this though."

"Really?"

"Yeah, even though we're friends I feel very close to you. And not in a relationship way."

"I understand." He said with a smile. "Dinner's ready by the way."

"Smells so good!" He said as he sat down by the table and saw a bed of rice, chicken and some mushroom sauce covering the chicken. "Thanks for the meal!" He called out as he took the first bite. "So good!"

"Better than your cooking?"

Luffy took that in consideration. "It's about the same."

"Oi…"

Luffy stuck out his tongue. "Sorry! I'm not Sanji! He can totally tell which one's better."

Zoro shook his head. "Whatever, as long as it doesn't taste bad and makes you feel sick, who cares, right?"

Luffy chuckled. "Right!"

_/\/\/\_

Once dinner was done, Luffy hailed a taxi and both of them said their good nights and Zoro entered the cab.

Luffy was waving when Sanji came around with Usopp and saw the scene.

"Looks like they're getting along well." Usopp said.

"Sure do." He said with a sigh. "He's doing a better job being his friend than I was being the boyfriend."

Usopp rolled his eyes. "Do we have to go to Nami for some therapy work with you?"

"Do and I may consider being bi."

"I've already accepted you as that."

"Really?"

"That doesn't mean you can have a girlfriend."

"What are you getting at?"

"Just letting you know where I stand in this relationship."

Sanji grinned and wrapped an arm around the other. "For someone who hides behind me most of the time, you can find your courage to stand up to me. It makes you hot."

"Oi!" Usopp said with a blush. "Don't say stuff like that out of nowhere."

Sanji grinned. "Oh? Then maybe I should stop complimenting you all together."

Usopp's eye twitched as he pouted. "You're trying to screw with me, aren't you?"

"That was a week ago."

"I didn't mean that kind!"

Sanji just laughed as the other looked flustered.

"Sanji! You can be such a sick jerk!"

Sanji calmed down his laughing as he slapped the other's ass. "Come on, we better get home before your goods get cold."

"O-Oi!"


	12. Talking to the Witch Doctor

Chapter 12: Talking to the Witch Doctor

*_+_*

"Yosh!" Luffy said as he donned on overalls, a white shirt, and had a white bandana on his head. "Let's get painting!"

"Aye!" Called out the kids donning their own worn out clothes to paint with.

_/\/\/\_

Zoro was in the doctor's office as they went through some basic tests before going into the lab for more in-depth tests.

"So, how are you and your friend doing?"

"Really well surprisingly."

"I've noticed you're having more emotion to your voice these last few weeks."

"Really? I haven't really noticed."

"I bet you're taking more than a few pills each day."

"It's worth it."

"Oh? I haven't heard that one before." She said with a witch like giggle. "Must be a special case, isn't he?"

Zoro smiled a bit. "He is…"

"And your heart isn't acting up from the times you've been together?"

"No, not at a grand scale at least. And he's also careful of what he's doing around me, which he doesn't seem to be bothered by it at all."

"Were you concerned?"

"I thought he was an idiot being around me. I still think he's an idiot, but there's no way of getting rid of him now."

"You're still friends, right?"

"Of course. We agreed that it was better that way. He's not going into relationships and I can't even be in one."

"There are different forms of relationships, you know."

"I know, but I'm sure about this."

"Are you?"

Zoro looked at his doctor. "Are you trying to say something to screw with my head, again?"

She giggled. "Ah! You know me all too well!" She said as she crackled.

"How you became a doctor I would never know." He said wondering just how he got her to be his doctor for so long.

"So, what is your friend doing today?"

"He said he was going to give those kids a field trip and paint."

"Did he say where?"

"Never asked. He's a pretty reliant guy to those kids."

"You've seen him work?"

"Yeah, the kids look up to him a lot." He smiled. "Even they know he's an idiot, but that's what they like about him. They can easily understand him when other adults try to communicate with their own kids, but couldn't."

"Sounds like he never grew up."

"Oh, he did, but his way is different than most. He's forever a pirate that guy."

"A pirate? Is that what he wanted to be?"

"Kinda dumb, but then who am I to judge? I wouldn't be able to hold up one in my condition."

"Yet you're able to do so well."

"He's just easy to be around with I guess. If I'm with someone else then it can go either way."

"I can tell where I fall in that."

"You're my doctor, you're paid to torment me as well as make sure I have a fighting chance, if any."

"So far you are in your own way."

"Huh?"

"About a couple months ago you would've stayed in that apartment, rotting away what's left of your life without so much as a fight. I'm surprised you didn't decide on overdosing yourself."

"I have too much pride to kill myself."

"I know that. But now you have something to live for, someone you want to stay with for awhile."

Zoro just stared at the doctor as he thought about it. "That's true…" He said finally.

"We're almost done here."

"Take your time. Luffy will be off in another hour."

She smiled. "I see you already got the scheduling down."

"Be quiet."

She smiled. "I just love screwing that hard head of yours."

"When you really want to annoy me to death."

"Then I would be an executer, not a doctor."

"But you want to be both."

"Nah, being a doctor is more awarding. I get to see people squirm longer as they slowly recover from any aliment."

"You're a sadist…"

"And you're hardly any fun because one wrong move and your either dead or hooked up to a tube."

"If I'm going to die then let me."

"I would, but would your friend?"

"He would probably mourn my death than anyone else in this life."

"And I won't?"

"You're a doctor, you see people die all the time."

"True, I have immunity to the mortal patient."

"You're human too…"

"That makes my reason all the more awarding by making sure you don't die before I do."

"But you should've been retired about a hundred years ago."

"You want to die badly you brat!?"

"I wonder how you would deal with Luffy blaming you for my death."

"I'll kill him if he complains."

"Then you would lose your license."

"Damn you annoying thorn in my side."

"Probably should've killed me when you had the chance, huh?" He said with a grin.

"Don't you be cheeky with me! You will one day either die or go under the knife on the operation table!"

"Until then I'll continue to be the thorn at your side."

"The results will be done in a few minutes. Stay right there for at least a half an hour."

"I know." He said as he closed his eyes and started to take a nap right there.

_/\/\/\_

A couple hours went by before Zoro made it up to his apartment and entered, only to sense something different about his room. He turned on the light and saw that his room had been painted with color.

The walls were a blue color of various shades, some of the paint got onto the ceiling, and he saw that there were child-like pictures on the walls depicting ships and people on them. He even noticed the horribly painted pirate flag on the ship but he couldn't help smiling.

"A field trip huh?" He said as he looked to see that it was only the living room that was painted on. He went up to a phone and called Luffy.

"Hey Zoro!" Luffy said.

"Hey Luffy. I got to see what you and the kids do today."

"You like it?"

He chuckled. "It was quite a surprise, but I find that I do like it." He said as he heard the other laugh.

"The kids wanted to do the other rooms, but I didn't want to mess up your place that much."

"Thanks." He said with a chuckle. "So, what adventures you have planned next time?"

"Zoro! Adventures are never planned!"

He smiled as he chuckled. "You're right my bad."

"How was your day?"

"Long and uneventful."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, hanging around with you hasn't made my condition worse."

"Oi!"

He chuckled as he looked at the wall painting. 'Everything has become an adventure since we met.' He thought as he saw one part of the picture with a kid drawing of Luffy and Zoro together at the front of the ship.


	13. Picnic Plans

Chapter 13: Picnic Plans

*_+_*

It was a gloomy day outside with dark clouds and rain everywhere, but for Luffy it was a great excuse to stay in with Zoro as they talked about everything and nothing.

But somewhere else in the city, two women and two men were trying to reach their friend, only to conclude that the said missing person was at the man's place.

"What's the deal with this Zoro guy anyway?" Usopp asked.

"He's a friend of Luffy's, what's more to know?" Nami said as she took a bite from the cake that Sanji made.

"We got that." Sanji said. "But the last few times we saw them together, I swear they were more than that."

"That's true, but maybe because they're just that close." Vivi said with a smile. "Sometimes a lot of people confuse relationships with friendships just because they do things that couples would do, but it's far from the point."

'Good thinking.' Nami thought with a proud smile.

"Yeah… I guess you're right." Sanji said as he took a sip of his tea. "I just can't get that guy."

"What's there to get?" Nami said.

"I mean the last time we talked to him."

"What do you mean?"

"It was almost a month ago, but it was the first time Usopp and I talked to him. I warned him not to hurt Luffy, and he said that they were just friends and it was impossible to be more than that."

"Huh? You're still thinking about that?" Usopp said.

"The guy just annoys the hell out of me for some reason."

"Because he's with Luffy?"

"No… Luffy proved himself that he can handle himself, but that guy… I know there's something off with him."

Nami sighed. 'May as well tell them.' She thought. "There is. He's sick."

"Huh?" The two men said in unison. "Who is?"

"Zoro." Vivi said. "He has a bit of a weak heart."

"A weak heart?" Usopp said.

"And Luffy's friends with a guy with that condition?"

"That's what we thought as well, but it looks like they found a good balance somewhere." Nami said.

"How did you find out?" Sanji asked.

"We eaves dropped on their conversation once and Nami decided to confront him." Vivi said.

"Like you guys I thought Luffy was hanging out with another guy, turns out he's been a great help to Luffy and are just friends."

"Huh…" Usopp said. "But wouldn't a condition that serious be hospitalized?"

"That's what I thought too." Vivi said. "But apparently he's stable enough to live out a daily life, but has to manage his stress or he'll have an attack and die."

"Huh…" Sanji said. "And with Luffy around… That would explain a bit of why Luffy acts differently around that guy."

"Yep." Nami said. "Now that you know, would you stop wondering if they're more than friends? Because that's what they are and will stay that way."

"But what if it develops to be more?" Usopp asked.

"You're too much of a romantic then." She said as she waved him off.

"But if it happens, what then?"

The two girls looked at each other and sighed.

"We tried not to think of that possibility." Vivi admitted.

"We figured that someone…" She glared at the blonde. "Broke his heart he would avoid going into any relationships at this point and just want simple companionship."

"And it seems Zoro needed the same thing as well. Being alone for so long can make anyone seem cold and uncaring about others." Vivi said.

"He did seem less scary the last time we saw them together." Usopp admitted.

"See? Even with their odd friendship they benefit from each other." Nami said.

"Maybe we should invite those two to an outing." Usopp said. "I'm sure a picnic would be a great idea for all of us to know Zoro and him to know us."

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea." Sanji said.

"And we haven't seen Luffy in a while either." Vivi said.

"I kinda miss having him around." Nami said as she smiled. "Okay, I think we can arrange a nice calm picnic day for all of us to come together."

That's when the phone rang.

"I got it!" Vivi said as she picked it up. "Hello? Oh! Luffy! We've been trying to call you."

Everyone waited as she talked to Luffy.

"So Luffy, we've been talking about going to a picnic with everyone and we were wondering if Zoro would like to come. You know to meet everyone." She said as there was a pause before she smiled. "Really? He agrees as well?"

"He's over at Luffy's?" Usopp asked.

"Apparently so." Sanji said.

"Okay! We'll let you know when. Okay! Bye!" She hung up the phone and looked at the others. "He says its okay."

"Well, it's settled then." Nami said. "We're going to have to pick out a good day for our picnic."

"Yeah, don't want it to suddenly turn gloomy on us." Usopp said.

"I better start making up something for the picnic."

"Oh, that's right." Vivi said. "It seems Luffy and Zoro have been making meals for each other."

"Huh? Since when does Luffy cook?"

"I knew he took up cooking a while back, but I didn't think he would keep it up." Sanji said.

"I thought it was odd as well, but from what Luffy could tell me was that they visit each other's apartments and cook for each other. Sometimes they cook and bring over to the apartment."

"Wow…" Usopp said. "They're really good friends if they enjoy that kind of thing."

Nami laughed. "I could just picture Luffy cooking in the kitchen. I bet it's a wreak after he completes what he sets out to do."

"I think he's pass that now…" Sanji said. "If he's been cooking for this long then he must've been reading that cook book and making sure he does it in a clean way."

"Huh?! You mean he can actually cook!?"

"It was shocking to me as well." Vivi said. "But it looks like he enjoys it."

Nami sighed. "We really need to get together, I'm being left out on what that guy does!"

"All of us has." Usopp said.

"Great idea, Usopp, a picnic is perfect for this." Sanji said with a laugh. "I better give him a call to make something as well. You know how he is with food."

"Yeah." The others said in unison as they laughed.

_/\/\/\_

Back in Luffy's apartment, he sneezed and groaned. "Jeeze! Someone really likes to talk about me!"

"I bet it's your friends." Zoro said as he finished up in the kitchen. "My bet is that they can't believe we're coming."

"I guess. I haven't realized how long I've seen my friends since last time." He said with a smile. "And that they want to know you is a good sign."

"How so?"

"They're curious about you and want to know you too."

"I guess it won't be that bad." He said as he sat down next to the other on the couch.

"When will the casserole be done?"

"About a half hour."

"Oh…"

"So, I pretty much got an idea what Sanji and Usopp are, and I remember meeting all of your friends at some point."

"This is their way to making you official then."

Zoro grinned. "Oh well, as long as I don't have an attack it would go smoothly."

"Oi! Don't say things like that so casually." He said with a pout.

He smiled. "Sorry."

"No you're not."

He chuckled. "You're right."

Luffy smiled as he settled back on the couch. "Bet you didn't expect this to happen, huh?"

"Nope, not once." He said as he stared at the television. "Thinking back on it, I'm glad I helped you that night. Even though it was the worst time of your life, without that, we wouldn't have met."

"Yeah…" Luffy said as he giggled. "Strange how things work out, huh?"

"Yeah…" He said with a smile of his own.


	14. Near Attack Test

Chapter 14: Near Attack Test

*_+_*

When the rain stopped the next day and the sun shone brightly, the group of four were setting things up and waited for the other two to arrive.

"Let's see…" Nami said as she looked at the area. "Far away from anyone else that would do anything funny, weather is perfect, and best of all it's perfectly relaxing!"

"Oi!" Luffy called as he and Zoro made it to the picnic area.

"Hey Luffy!" Usopp called as we waved them over. "Over here!"

"Jeeze guys, you picked a hard spot for us to find you." Luffy said as he placed his hands on his hips. "I mean, seriously! Who has a picnic on the other side of the hill, just a few feet from the cemetery?" He pointed out to the said gated cemetery.

Zoro looked at the cemetery and wondered about the arrangement himself.

"Well…" Vivi started. "We wanted to find a spot that wasn't going to be too much activity for Zoro's well being."

"Oh… This okay with you, Zoro?"

"I was planning on napping, but then this is okay."

'Napping?' The four thought. 'This is for us to get to know him.'

Once they settled down, there was an awkward silence between the four and Zoro while Luffy was enjoying the food.

"So… Zoro, do you do anything?" Vivi asked.

"I donate blood and being the thorn to my doctor and landlord's side." He said.

"Oh, how often do you donate blood?"

"Twice a month."

"Oh… But, isn't that dangerous?"

"I have a lot of blood for the normal human." He said. "I would bleed for a day or two without feeling dizzy or sick. But if I do I just sleep it off."

"Isn't that just as worse?"

"Not to me."

"So… what do you and Luffy do?" Nami asked to get away from that topic.

"We hang out, walk around the park, cook, but we mostly talk."

"Have you ever seen how Luffy works in his job?" Usopp asked.

"Once and I enjoyed spending some time there."

"That's good to hear." Nami said.

"You're okay with the kids going around everywhere?" Sanji asked.

"They're not bad kids." He said. "Didn't you see them?"

"He doesn't like kids." The three said without missing a beat.

"Oi! It's not that I don't like kids, I just don't how they get to everything."

"Like Luffy?" Zoro said as he pointed to the other, who just about cleaned out the food from the picnic basket.

"Luffy!" The four said in unison as they went over to stop him from eating everything.

Zoro just grinned as he took a pill out and swallowed one.

_/\/\/\_

The rest of the day they were just enjoying the nice relaxing day as Zoro and Luffy napped under a tree.

"So, guys… What do you think of Zoro?" Nami asked.

"He seems to be very kind to Luffy and he was actually easy to talk to once we start discussing other things that don't relate to him." Vivi said.

"Well I think he's difficult to talk to because he has that look that doesn't want anyone to talk to him." Usopp said.

"I think he was reasonable with all of us being here and asking him the questions we did. And he seems okay with Luffy being around even." Sanji said.

"I think he's okay with all of us too." Nami said with a nod as she looked over to see the two sleeping figures.

Luffy was leaning against the other and he turned and wrapped an arm around the sleeping man's waist.

Zoro opened one eye, looked to see the other, and closed it to continue sleeping.

"What is he? A lion?" Sanji asked.

"Sounds about right." Vivi said with a giggle.

"Anyone who can handle Luffy is good in our book." Nami said. "With some exceptions."

"Oi!" Usopp said as Sanji was in a depressed corner.

"He still isn't over that?"

"Nope."

_/\/\/\_

Later that day Luffy and Zoro were making dinner for the group, who decided to check out Zoro's apartment.

"So you and the kids painted the living room?" Usopp asked as he looked at the paint job on the walls.

"Yep! Thought it needed some character!" Luffy said with a laugh.

"And you were okay with it, Zoro-san?"

"Yeah, I thought it was original." Zoro said as he finished stirring something in the wok.

Sanji looked at the wall and couldn't help but feel a bit envious. 'If Luffy would've pulled something like this, I would've been furious, with or without condition. But this guy likes it.' He thought as dinner was being served.

"This is so different." Vivi said. "I was usually Sanji doing the cooking and the serving."

"Well, yeah, but since we split and I wanted to thank Zoro for everything I took up cooking." Luffy said. "Then Zoro took up cooking after I did just to see just how his cooking ability is compared to me."

"Oi, that's not why I took up cooking!" Zoro said, not even trying to hide a grin.

"Keep telling yourself that!"

"Well, well! Is there a party going on?" Dr. K said as she allowed herself in. "Why wasn't I invited."

"Oh, hi evil landlord doctor lady!" Luffy said with that childish look.

"Oi! Is that anyway you talk to a lady!" She said as she brought out a scalpel and threw it, missing Luffy by an inch.

"Dr. K!" Zoro called as he got up quickly, only to momentarily pause any movement.

"Ah crap."

"What?" Luffy asked.

"He's going into an attack, grab one of his meds." She ordered as she went over. "Out of the way, I have to look at him!"

The group got up and stayed out of the way as they watched as the doctor steadied the other down to the floor, back onto the ground, Luffy went over and handed the medicines he'd seen before.

"Good. Now I'm going to need boiling hot water, a measuring cup of some form and a grinder."

Luffy hopped to it as he got the measuring cup and the grinder, and the water was up to a boil for what they were going to make later but this was more important, and brought that over in a thermostat canteen.

She went to work by grinding two of the pills, added some of her own powder into the mix, put it into the measuring cup, and added hot water in it, stirred it so that it looked like tea. "Lift him up." She commanded and he did. She took out a tube and opened the man's jaw. "Oh good, I don't have to shove the tube down your throat."

"Bitch…" Zoro managed to say as he panted.

"Say 'ahh'." She said as she opened the man's mouth and poured the tea-like substance down his throat. Once the contents were gone, she looked at Luffy. "Keep him upright for the next half hour, and don't even think about moving him."

Luffy nodded as he went behind the other and he became a back support for the other. "Are you okay?"

"I'll live…"

"Just barely."

"You started it."

"Well your friend should have better manners."

"Old habits die hard right?" He said as he managed a grin. "Why are you my doctor again?"

"Because you're a pain in the ass." She said as she got up. "He'll be okay, that was just a small attack, nothing life threatening."

"Scared me." Usopp said.

"It should. Because it could've gotten a lot worse." She said as she stole a plate. "I'm taking this with me."

When she left, everything was at a pause as they waited for Zoro to recover. When the estimated time was over, Zoro got up and looked at the others.

"Sorry you had to see that."

They shook their heads.

"We're just glad you're okay." Vivi said.

"For now." Zoro said, the atmosphere changed dramatically from lively to down casted.

"Uh… We have work tomorrow so we better get going." Usopp said.

"Hai… It was wonderful meeting you anyway." Nami said as she and the others left.

Sanji took a glance at the man and felt sorry for the guy. 'Shit… I can't even imagine living like that.' He thought as he noticed that Luffy wasn't leaving, but standing by the other's side. He saw the man looked at the other before a small smile was seen on him. 'Luffy is the only one who can handle this.' He saw Luffy smile widely as he started talking lively about finishing up dinner before he joined up with the others.

"What took you?" Usopp asked.

"Just seeing how Luffy handled the after math."

"And?" Vivi asked.

"He's solid as a rock that baka. All he had to do was stand next to him and he starts smiling, and then he smiles and continues what was left off."

"Luffy is quite an amazing guy." Nami said as she looked up at the windows. "I don't know if I could handle something like he did and just go on like it never happened."

"Well he can't always do that." Dr. K said.

"That was a dangerous thing you did earlier." Vivi said. "You could've hurt Luffy! And you nearly killed your patient!"

"Pipe down, girlie. It was for me to know just how serious that numbskull is about my patient."

"Huh? You were testing Luffy?" Usopp said.

"It was risky, but he proved that he can handle helping that idiot patient of mine better than anyone else that's just assigned to care for him." She said as she took a sake bottle to her lips and took a few gulps before smiling and crackling like a witch. "That makes my job easier." She walked back inside. "Don't worry, this friendship cheraid will end soon."

"Cheraid?" Sanji said.

"What do you mean?" Nami asked.

Dr. K turned and looked evil at that moment. "Would you bet your life to know?"

"No, no! We'll find out on our own." Usopp said as he was scared of the doctor.

She laughed like a witch as she went inside.

"What did she mean by that?" Vivi said.

"Hm…" Nami contemplated before waving it off. "I'm tired! Let's just go home."

"But…"

"We'll worry about it some other time, but right now it's late and it's been a long day."

"Right…" With that everyone left.

_/\/\/\_

Back in Zoro's apartment, they were washing dishes from their dinner.

"I'm sorry that happened." He said.

"It's okay, Zoro."

"It's not, Luffy, and you know it."

"You're okay, that's all that matters to me." He said as he dried the dishes.

"What if it was worse?"

"Then I wouldn't leave your side until I know you're in good hands." He said as he looked at the other. "No matter what I won't leave even if you try to hurt me."

"Luffy…" He tried to find the words to explain the situation, but ended up not finding it and handed the last dish to be dried. "It was pointless to even try to get rid of you."

Luffy smiled as he grabbed the soaked dish. "Yep! So stop trying and let it be."

"Sometimes you can be such a pain."

"So are you, but then who isn't?"

Zoro grinned as he headed over to the couch. "I'm going to take a nap."

"Okay." He said as he placed the last dish in the cabinet and looked to see the dishwasher was still running with the pots and silverware, before sitting down on the ground, the couch behind him, and turned on the television and lowered the volume.

Luffy ended up staying that night as he fell asleep from watching an old program that was usually on late at night.

Of course Zoro wouldn't let his friend sleep on the ground, so he got off from the couch and placed the other on that, grabbed a blanket and covered the other before going to his own room to sleep the rest of the night.


	15. Anniversary!

Chapter 15: Anniversary!

*_+_*

"Luffy… Where are you taking me?" Zoro asked as he was blindfolded.

"I told you, it's a surprise."

"I don't do well with surprises."

"You'll like this one."

"I'll take your word for it. But if I die because of this, you're paying for my funeral."

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the last few times you mention that." Luffy said with a laugh as he held the other's hand as he guided the other towards the harbor.

"I smell dead fish."

Luffy laughed as they walked on the wooden board towards a boat. "Okay Zoro, you have to watch your step here."

"Can I take the blindfold off?"

"No, not yet!" He said as he guided the other on the steps and onto the boat.

"I smell dead fish and by the awkward footing I'm in, we're on a boat. Luffy, why did you put me on a fishing boat?"

"It's not a fishing boat!" He said with a laugh. "But it is a boat."

"Can I take the damn thing off now?"

"Nope! Just wait a little longer!" He said as he guided their way to the front and sat down on the bench. "Wait here for just a minute. Don't you dare peek!"

"Okay…" He said as he just relaxed on the bench.

Luffy went to the captain cabin and saw a man that could barely fit in the small space. "Okay Franky, we're set."

"Okay Bro!" Franky said, a man of thirty-two, muscular upper body, thin lower body, and has light blue hair that would give Elvis's do a run for its money.

"Thanks Franky!"

"Ah! It's nothing!" He said as he started the boat.

Luffy quickly went back down to the front and laughed to let the other know it was him.

"Okay Luffy, can I take the damn cloth off now?"

"Just wait a little bit longer." He said as he held onto the other's arm.

"Just where are you taking me on a boat?"

"You'll see." He said as he watched that they were leaving the harbor and going through the two rock structures before going out into the open ocean.

_/\/\/\_

Once they were a mile away from the harbor he smiled and guided the other up and towards the wood rail. "Hold still for a sec." He said as he took the cloth off.

Zoro only saw blue as far as he could see. "Damn…" He said as he held onto the railing for what was worth.

"Isn't it great!?" Luffy said as he was gripping the rail. "But the fun part doesn't happen until a bit later."

"Huh?" Zoro said when there was a small jerk nearly brought him off balance if not for Luffy correcting his balance.

"Spread your legs out a bit and bend them a bit."

"What's the point of this trip?"

"This is my version of a roller coaster!" He said as another jerk made itself known and this time Zoro was prepared and found the jerks almost exhilarating, but not so much that would make him work up.

_/\/\/\_

By the time the waters evened themselves out, they sat back down on the bench and Zoro laughed loudly and full heartedly before bending over and holding his chest.

"Zoro!" Luffy said as he went to his side.

"I'm okay Luffy." He said with a few deep breaths, took a pill out and swallowed it whole, and sighed in content. "That was great!"

Luffy smiled, knowing the other was going to be okay and that he had fun. "Happy Anniversary!" He said.

"Anniversary?"

"Yeah! We've been friends for a few months now, I figured it's a good time to have an anniversary to celebrate the months that we've been together."

Zoro smiled as he let it be. "Happy Anniversary, and thank you."

He smiled as he hugged the other. "You're welcome!"

The other hugged back as they looked out to the ocean and got a chance to see some dolphins jumping alongside the boat.

When they were going through the jerky waters on their way back, Luffy didn't expect it and was about to fall back when the other caught him. "Thanks Zoro!"

"You helped me." He said as they continued to do their roller coaster fun before they were going back into the harbor.

_/\/\/\_

Once they got back onto land, they headed to the Baratie and had lunch there.

"So, what gave you the idea of that little boat trip?"

"Well, I knew you wouldn't do well in a carnival setting and the roller coasters would be a bit much for you. So I asked my boss, Robin, if she had any good ideas for something for us to do without putting your in huge danger. So she recommended that boat trip thing and ta-da!"

He chuckled as they ordered and continued to talk about many things.

"I figured you'd be here." Sanji said as he served their meal.

"Hey Sanji!"

"Yo."

"Haven't seen you in a while, and this is your first time here?"

"Yep!" Luffy said for both.

"Yeah, pretty much dragged here against my will."

"He'll do that." He said as he looked at the two. "So, what's the special occasion?"

"It's our anniversary!"

"Eh!? When did you two start dating?"

"What are you talking about? Isn't there an anniversary for being friends for a good long while?" Luffy said as he took a bite of his steak.

Sanji face palmed. "Should've known…"

"This isn't bad." Zoro admitted.

"Thanks." Sanji said as he pointed to Luffy. "You okay with this 'anniversary' thing?"

"What else would you call it?"

'Damn…' He thought as he was called back in. "That's me, enjoy."

"Enjoying!" Luffy said as he finished his steak.

"You done already?" Zoro asked.

"Yep!"

"You're unbelievable."

Luffy laughed as the other continued to eat his meal while watching the other start talking lively about anything and nothing at the same time.

_/\/\/\_

Later that day, Sanji walked into his apartment, only to see Usopp painting away at their half studio apartment.

"Hey Sanji, busy day?"

"It's busy when Luffy is there."

"Really?"

"And he wasn't alone."

"He's dating again?"

"No, it was Zoro, but they were celebrating their friendship anniversary."

" 'Friendship anniversary'?"

"Don't ask."

"Well, as long as he's happy I don't care what he really calls it."

"What can you call something like that?"

"Good point." He said as he took his paint brushes down. "Only Luffy can call it that and not give a damn on what people would think."

"I don't even think Zoro minds it either." Sanji said. "You should've seen how laid back he was when I practically picked my jaw up from the ground."

Usopp laughed. "That's a pretty good visual."

"Funny to you…" He said as he grabbed a cigarette and went out to the fire escape to smoke.

"Oh come on, Sanji. You and I both know Luffy is a bit off but means well at the same time." Usopp said as he went out as well. "And that's something that most of us lost somewhere along the way. And that's what makes most of us like him so much that it worries us."

"No kidding… But it looks like that guy is a good match for him, as long as that baka doesn't start dating again."

"You and me both. I actually started to see them more as a couple the more I think about it."

"You haven't started a painting with them are you?"

"I was actually starting it."

"Really?" Sanji said as he finished his smoke and went back inside to have a look at it. "Hmm… Innocent enough."

"Well, yeah, they're just friends you know. And the idea from those kids didn't hurt either."

"What is this picture for?"

"Don't know. I figured it was innocent enough for Luffy's work place, hearing that the kids have taken a liking to Zoro."

"Sounds good." Sanji said as he headed to the kitchen. "I'm going to make something."

"You need to stop bringing work home!"

"That's what you do every day!"

"Shut up!" He said as he sat back down and looked at his almost finished painting of Luffy, wearing what a pirate captain would wear in a blood red and gold thread, and Zoro in another pirate inspired outfit that wasn't fancy but not dragged out from the drain either. Luffy was on the figure head of the ship while Zoro wasn't far from the other, leaning against the railing.


	16. Back on the List

Zoro: You're really pushing yourself on these new chapters.

(counts) I must've done at least thirty new chapters that I've updated between Christmas and now.

Zoro: And all without coffee.

Reviews?

Zoro: Why am I host? (grabs the first one) From GreyMoth

Because. Oh! New reviewer! Thanks! I'm glad you liked the fics!

Zoro: (grabs another) From Iry-san...

Glad you enjoyed it, and no it's not going to be suicide. Like I would make Luffy do that!

Zoro: (grabs another) From Kitty-san...

Here's five more.

Zoro: (grabs another) From Althalos...

I can't remember if you reviewed before or not... Oh well! You'll find out in these chapters.

Zoro: (grabs another) From Dream-san...

You'll find out sooner than you think. In fact it's here.

Zoro: (grabs another) From Dokidokibeat...

New reviewer? Thank you!

Zoro: (grabs another) From Black rose pirate...

Really? That's interesting. And you'll find out in these chapters.

Zoro: (grabs another) From Soge-san...

I tried to put in a bit more SanUso in here and I'm glad you like it. And with Luffy, that's what I like so much about his character, he's just too cute!

Zoro: One of the many things I like about him. (grabs another) From Kira-chan...

I loved doing that part with the kids. Here's the next five chapters.

Zoro: That's it.

Okay! Here's the next few chapters! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 16: Back on the List

*_+_*

A week went by after the anniversary and Zoro was at the doctor's office once again, but this time he made the appointment to go see her personally.

"Well, well… this is a surprise." She said as she looked at her patient of ten, almost eleven years. "What brings you to my office willingly?"

At first Zoro didn't know what to say as he sighed. "I want to be back on the list."

"Eh? You serious?"

Zoro looked at his doctor and landlord and nodded. "I want to be back on the list for waiting heart transplants."

She gave him a look as she mentioned him to sit down. "What's with the sudden change of mind?"

Zoro sat down and sighed. "I'm falling for Luffy."

"Please tell me that you're kidding." She said as she opened a beer bottle.

Zoro looked at the woman and she instantly knew he wasn't.

"What brought this up?" She said as she set her barely touched beer on her desk. "I thought you said that you two were just friends and that you two wouldn't get involved."

Zoro sighed as he took a pill and swallowed one. "It happened a few days ago."

She was listening as he relayed what happened that made him come to the decision.

Flashback: Few Days Ago

Zoro was just waking up from his nap when Luffy knocked on his door and looked at the time and knew the other was on lunch break. "It's open!" He said as the other went in with his latest cooking. "You cook for the kids now?"

"Well, it's more like the kids making for the evil dragon that's guarding the treasure." He said with a giggle.

He smiled as he got up. "So these are your crewmates' leftovers from that adventure?"

"Yeah they say that it's so good that you can get better in no time!"

Zoro smiled as he chuckled. "That's good. I can't wait to try it." He said as he took the plates out and set them down on the table. "Thanks for the meal." He said as he took a bite and smiled. "Tell your crew that they did a great job. Better than their captain."

"Oi!" Luffy said with a smile while the other chuckled before eating again. "I got kicked out of my apartment for tonight."

"Huh? Why?"

"Some asshole was keeping performing rats in one of the rooms and people are looking to see if the rats got into the rooms."

"Performing rats?"

"He's as a few screws loose, but he means well."

"Sound unsanitary…"

"He's actually quite clean, but he smells like bad cheese."

He shook his head. "I'm glad I don't have neighbors like that. If I did, they are pretty damn good at keeping themselves hidden."

Luffy laughed as he looked at the time. "I better get going. Hey, do you mind if I stayed over?"

"Never stopped you before."

Luffy stuck out his tongue as he left.

_/\/\/\_

Later that day, Luffy walked in as Zoro was having another nap that day. He let the other be, draped his coat over the other, so that he would know that he's here and went to take a shower.

When Zoro woke up, he saw the coat and heard the shower going. He smiled as he got up to make something.

"Let's see…" He said as he looked through the kitchen. "What should I make?"

"Oi! Zoro!"

"Hm?" He looked up and his thought his heart nearly stopped when he saw Luffy in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Oi, do you know if I can borrow some clothes?"

"Uh… sure…" He said as the other thanked him and went to his room. "Uh… I saw him in the nude before…" He shook his head as he focused on getting items to make dinner.

Once he got the items down and started the burner, Luffy came out with the oversized shirt and his black loose boxers.

"Heading to bed already?" He said with a smile.

"No, none of your pants fit on me."

Zoro chuckled. "Not my fault you're thin." He said as he started to mix some things into a bowl when he felt hands on his hips.

"Whatcha making?"

"No idea." He said as he couldn't help but notice how much warmer he was with the other near him.

"Can I help?"

He looked to see the vegetables that can be cut. "You can cut the vegetables and mix them in the bowl."

"Okay!" Luffy said as he went over there and started to cut vegetables.

With the absence of the warmth he felt a moment ago, the man felt oddly disappointed, but he set that aside as he mixed a few items in a bowl and reached for the oil when he heard the knife being dropped. "Luffy?"

"Ow…" He said as he held his hand.

"You cut yourself?"

"Yeah…"

"Let me see…" He said as the other showed him the wounded finger, which was difficult for him to see how deep the cut was with the blood. He licked the blood off and saw that it was just a small cut. "It's not bad." He concluded as he tore a piece of a paper towel turned on the water until it was lukewarm, and placed the finger under the light stream of water, got some soap to wash around the wound, turned the water off, dried the finger and placed the piece of paper towel over the cut. "Just apply some pressure to it and it should stop bleeding in a bit. So just sit on the couch while I finish this up, okay?"

"H-Hai…"

"What's wrong Luffy?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing." He said as he headed to the couch and sat down on it.

Zoro didn't understand what was going on, but he continued to finish up in the kitchen and let the food cook for a while.

"Okay!" He said as he went to see how the other was doing. "Dinner would be ready in a half hour."

"Oh! Okay!" Luffy said as he seemed slightly startled.

"Are you okay Luffy? Is your finger hurting again?"

"No, no, it's good." He said with a blush on his face that the other couldn't help but think was cute.

"Well, we can see what's on television." He said as he reached for the remote.

"Yeah! I wonder if there are any good movies on?"

"We'll find out." He said, glad things are getting back to normal between them as he flipped the channels, only to find nothing.

Then he got the oddest feeling that he was being watched, but he ignored it as he flipped through the channels a few more times before sighing in frustration. "Looks like there's nothing but crap on." He said as he stopped at the decent channel he could find and looked at the other, who had the bandaged finger to his lips. "Oi, you sure it's not hurting?" He asked, gaining the other's attention.

"It's not hurting…" He responded with a blush. "Is dinner ready?"

He looked up at the clock and saw that he had another twenty minutes, but he figured he should check just in case and let the other have his space.

_/\/\/\_

Once dinner was made and ready, he let the other know and set the table.

Luffy quietly walked up to the table and sat down. "Thanks for the meal, Zoro." He said as he took a bite. "Yum!"

Zoro smiled as he took a bite as well. "Not bad for just throwing random stuff in." He chuckled as the other laughed, and soon the awkward air between them dispersed and they were talking about everything and nothing.

_/\/\/\_

When dinner was done Zoro took his turn with the shower and let the other be with the television. Once done he went out, dried, wrapped the towel around him, and was heading towards his room when he saw the other asleep on the couch. He shook his head as he went up, carried the other to the room, set the other on the bed and went to his closet to find his boxers, put them on and went to bed.

"Going to bed with wet hair can make you sick." Luffy said, still a bit sleepy.

"That's the least of my problems." He said as he made himself comfortable. "You okay?"

"This will be the third time I've been in your bed."

"Okay, good night." Zoro said as he yawned and started to drift off to sleep.

"Night, Zoro." The other said as he went to sleep as well.

_/\/\/\_

The next morning, Zoro was coming out from sleep when he felt something warm on his lips and he slowly opened his eyes to see the other's face close to his before backing away and seeing the brown eyes, which widened in shock.

"That's one way to say good morning." He said as he was waking up more.

"G-Gomen…" Luffy said as he tried getting out quickly, only to fall out of bed.

"Luffy?"

"I'm okay…"

"Are you?" He asked as he got out of bed and walked to where the other was sprawled out on the ground.

"You mad?"

"For what? It's not like you raped my mouth or anything." He said as he held out his hand to the other. "But now I would like to know why."

Luffy grabbed the offered hand and got up, but he didn't meet the other's eyes. "You won't hate me…?"

"We've been really good friends for quite some time…" He said. "And I've been in love before as well." He guided the other's head to face him. "Were you curious? Or did you really like me that way?"

Luffy took a moment before responding. "I do like you a bit more than a friend, but I know that I can't push anything if it means hurting you. And I like that we've been hanging out together this long, just being near you was enough. But for that moment I just wanted to know how your lips felt and…" He stopped as he moved his head down. "I'm such a wreck…"

Zoro hugged the other close as the other cried. "You're not a wreck… Far from it."

"You're just being nice…" He said as he hiccupped a bit. "You've been nice to me since we first met."

"Oi, there were times I lost a bit of patience with you."

"Those don't count."

"Oi!"

The other managed to giggle. "But you're mostly nice to me."

He held the other closer. "When you're around, I feel alive." He admitted. "I didn't mind that we were friends or friends with minor benefits."

"Oi! I only kissed you!"

"Remember that time you were upset about Sanji and I made you get hard by just kissing you on your neck?"

"Oh… Yeah, that counted."

Zoro chuckled. "Like I was saying, I didn't mind because for the first time in ten years I've felt alive and normal, if you can call it that. My heart may act up on occasion but I never regret every moment I'm with you." He looked to see the other once more, who stopped crying sometime ago, and moved the bangs from his eyes. "You gave me a reason to live, Luffy. I can't see what my life would've been like without you, and I don't want to vision what might happen if either of us would disappear."

"Zoro… Don't say that…" Luffy said. "You're still here…"

Zoro cupped the other's face and studied the face for a moment. "I can't say the words just yet, and I believe both of us know the reason why."

Luffy nodded.

"But I can say that I can't ignore that I feel attached to you in some way… Much more than when I was younger."

Luffy seemed surprised to hear that, but he didn't part away from the other.

"We have been friends for just a few months, but some things happened and we agree that it can't be ignored any longer."

Luffy nodded.

"But since it has come to this, we have to keep our friendship without trying to step over the border no matter how tempting it is."

"Right…" Luffy said as he rested his head on the other's chest. "I understand."

Zoro held him a bit longer before parting and they got dressed in different rooms.

End of Flashback: Present Day

Zoro looked at his doctor. "It's been a few days after that and with those days I've done nothing but think about everything we've done and what was going to happen if this continues with or without the help of the donor heart."

Dr. K, though never was one of romance and such fluff and hearts, saw the genuine look of a man who will go all out to make sure this works. "If you continue the way you live now, you will eventually die, but with the surgery, the success rate will depend on how well the heart is and how quickly it will arrive. If it is successful you will live out a healthy and long life. Fail and you'll die on the silver table. Do you really want to be back on the list when you denied it for so long?"

Zoro looked at his doctor straight in the eye and nodded. "I do."

She sighed. "The longest sentence known to mankind. Whether it's marriage or a life or death situation." She said as she typed on her computer and it was done. "You're now on the list." She informed. "Did you tell him that you decided this?"

"I'm telling him tonight."

She nodded as she waved him off. "You may go, this appointment as gone long enough."

He got up and left the room, leaving the doctor to sigh and thought about what to do next. "May as well give him a hint…" She said as she gave Luffy a call. 'Thank god for doctor/patient classifications.' She thought as she heard the man's voice. "Hey brat, I was talking to Zoro and I'm just going to let you know he's going to tell you something. I just want you to give you a heads up. And don't tell him I called." She said as she hung up. "What will you do now?"


	17. Cemetary Vist

Chapter17: Cemetary Visit

*_+_*

Luffy felt as though he had been walking on air since the day that he and Zoro admitted that they felt the same and will remain friends until they were truly sure about what they feel for each other. 'Friends with innocent benefits.' He thought as he was walking to his apartment, since it was his turn to cook. Earlier he received a call by the female doctor and he was a bit concerned to know what his more than friend had to say to him.

Once he was in his apartment, he changed into some comfortable clothes and got to work in the kitchen. He was looking through his cook book to see what he was going to make and looked at the fridge to see what he had and made sure it was enough to make what he wanted to make.

By the time he had the cooking pan out and the ingredients, Zoro let himself in with the spare key and looked to see what the other was making.

"Lasagna?" Zoro said as he looked at the cook book.

"Hai, the lady next door gave me some strange looking noodles and it turns out that it's good for lasagna."

"Ah. Need help?"

"Well, I haven't even started."

Zoro smiled as he read the instructions before preparing the pan while the other worked on the sauce.

_/\/\/\_

Once they were done, Luffy placed it in the oven and they sat down on the couch and had a channel on, but they were more interested in holding each other's hands as they pretended to watch the program.

Luffy enjoyed the feel of the other's hand as he moved his hand to feel the rough texture of the palm while the other hand was doing the same with his hand. Soon he just leaned close to the other, his head resting on the broad shoulder as the arm went behind him and wrapped him close to the other's form.

_/\/\/\_

When dinner was ready they sat down, thanked the meal, and there was a moment of silence before Luffy remembered what the doctor told him earlier and looked up to see that the other did have a look of thoughtfulness, as if trying to find the right words to say them. "What's wrong Zoro?" He asked. "You have that thinking hard look."

Zoro blinked as he sighed. "Well… there's no easy way to say this…" He said as he looked at the other straight in the eye. "But, I went to see my doctor as asked her to put me back on the list for awaiting for a heart transplant."

Luffy was shocked to say the least, but he smiled. "Really!? That's great!"

"Maybe, but if the poor bastard were to have a bad heart then I'm good as dead on the table."

"You'll get a good heart." Luffy said. "I know it!"

Zoro grinned as he took a bite of the lasagna. "If you say so, it might happen." He said as he looked at the other. "Is it really okay with you?"

"The chances of having a heart donor isn't great, but I'm glad you're on the list just in case one does come up. But until then I'm glad we're having this time together."

Zoro smiled as he raised his glass. "For being together."

Luffy raised his glass and tapped it with the other glass. "Taking in every second."

_/\/\/\_

The next few days things were calm and easy, Luffy and Zoro were invited to see the other four as they haven't seen them since the picnic incident.

"Oi!" Usopp said as he waved them to join them.

"Hey guys!" Luffy said as he and Zoro sat down.

"What have you guys been doing lately?" Nami asked, getting straight to the point.

"I'm working." Luffy said.

"Rotting." Zoro said.

"So the usual…" Nami said with a sigh. 'So boring…' She thought.

"Oh, I've been teaching the kids how to cook a little." Luffy said.

"Really? How'd that go?" Sanji asked.

"They were really good for their first time." He said with a laugh. "They said they wanna do it again soon."

"What about you, Zoro-san?" Vivi asked.

"Well, I got myself back on the waiting for a heart list."

"Really? You weren't on it before?"

"I didn't have a reason to be on in the first place."

Everyone looked at the younger of the two and Luffy looked at them strangely.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing…" They said as they went back to talking about themselves and filling their friends what they've done lately.

While the others were talking, Zoro moved his leg and joined it with Luffy's, who smiled to let the other know that he got the message.

"Well, would anyone be interested in coming to the cemetery with me?" Nami asked. "I haven't visited my mother in a while and I would like to do that today."

"I'll go." Zoro said. "I have to say hi to my older sister."

"You had an older sister?" The group said as Luffy seemed surprised to hear this as well.

"She's not really my sister, but she annoyed the hell out of me while we were growing up. That is until she fell and broke her neck."

"Damn…" Sanji said.

Zoro shrugged. "She would have a fit with me by now if she was still alive." He said as he and Luffy got up.

"Anyone else?" Nami asked.

"Now that you mentioned it, I haven't seen my mother's grave in awhile." Usopp said as he agreed to come along.

_/\/\/\_

Once they were at the cemetery, they went their separate ways to visit the graves as Luffy got to meet Kuina.

"Kuina?" He said as he looked at the name on the grave.

"Hai. She always kicked my ass when I was little, even when I can beat adults twice my size and weight."

"No way!"

"Way." He said as he looked at the grave. "Kuina, this is Luffy, the crazy guy I told you the last time we met."

"Oi…"

"Well, we're kinda together now, believe it or not." He said with a smile. "It's too bad that you couldn't be here in person to tell me how stupid I am, but you know, I'm happy with this guy. Got a problem with that?"

At that moment the sun seemed to shine a bit more as white birds went overhead.

"Wow… that's cool."

"Then it's okay by you then?" Zoro asked, but he knew the answer. "Alright then. You can stop worrying about me now. I'm not leaving this world any time soon as long as Luffy's here."

Luffy blushed as he didn't know what to say or do.

Zoro looked at the other and smiled. "You're blushing."

Luffy pouted, but he looked away instead of trying to say something, making the other run his hand through his hair.

"It's cute."

"I'm not cute…"

"Are too…"

"Not!"

"What's going on?" Nami asked as she looked at the two.

"I was just saying that Luffy looked cute."

"I'm not cute!"

"Yes you are." The four said in unison.

"Eh!? What about me is cute!?"

"You're boyish looks for one thing." Nami said.

"The way you smile." Vivi said.

"The way you sleep." Sanji said. "When you're not snoring and waking up the dead."

"Oi!"

"The way you act sometimes." Usopp said.

"Guys…" Luffy said as he pouted.

"Get over it!" Nami said. "You're cute and have every right to be."

"But why cute!?"

"Just cause!"

_/\/\/\_

Later that day, Luffy and Zoro were walking back to the apartment with Luffy still pouting about being cute. Once they got into his apartment, Zoro decided to talk to the other.

"Oi, Luffy, you're still pouting about being cute." His response was a pout and glare combo. "You know it isn't a bad thing."

"How?" Luffy said as he sat on the couch.

Zoro grinned as he walked over and sat next to the other. "You really want to know?" When he didn't get a verbal answer he looked to see the other looked at him with almost a blaming look.

"Well then…" He said as he turned to face the other. "What your friends said about you is part of it. But I think you're cute when you pout."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because I want to kiss you when you put your bottom lip out."

Luffy blushed a nice shade of pink, making the other blink.

"Oh but you blushing is also cute."

"Would you shut up about me being cute already!?" He said as he started to turn red.

"Okay." He said as he leaned closer and claimed the other's lips. "You're not cute, you down right adorable."

Luffy whined. "That's just as worse!"

"Get over it." He said as he kissed the other's neck, causing the other to moan.

"Okay! Let me tell you what I think about you being cute?"

"Good luck."

"You're cute when you sleep."

"Eh?"

"You kinda look like a kid when you're asleep."

"No way."

"Way!"

"Anything else?"

"Hm…" Luffy thought about it when he smiled. "That time when you visited the kids and you were playing along, I thought it was so damn cute of you."

"Oi…" Zoro said with a blush.

"Oh! But a blushing Zoro is both cute and hot!"

"You!" Zoro said as he trapped the other in a head lock and gave him a noggie. "No more kisses for you for some time."

"Zoro!"


	18. Brunch Talk with Nami

Chapter18: Brunch Talk with Nami

*_+_*

The next few weeks went on like normal, with the exception of Luffy and Zoro's relationship taking more baby steps. So far the others didn't really take notice, thinking that it was just close friendship, but then Nami couldn't be fooled any longer as her woman's intuition was telling her that there's more than what her friend and sort-of friend are letting on.

One day at brunch, the only day that Zoro was donating blood and got a chance to drag Luffy to talk with her.

"Okay Luffy, spill, are you and Zoro dating now?"

"Huh? What brought this up?" Luffy said as he took a bite of his morning bagel sandwich.

"A woman knows when someone she's close to is in love."

He looked at her as if she was out of her mind. "Huh? Didn't you say the same thing when I was with Sanji?" He said when there was a sudden dark aura around the female that even scared the little dogs that were with their owners.

"That's besides the point…" She said as she looked evil at that point before taking a deep breath to calm herself down. "I mean the way you two act around each other is no doubt mostly friendship, but then I did the same thing with Vivi when we started hanging around together." She looked at the guy in front of her. "You're in love with Zoro, aren't you?"

Luffy knew he couldn't fool his female friend for the life of him and sighed. "We do feel attracted to each other but we're not going to be serious about it until we're fully sure."

"So… what have you two been doing when you're alone?"

"Pretty much the same stuff including kissing and hugging."

"Wow, the innocent benefit stage."

"Yep. And I'm okay with that." Luffy said with a smile. "Because he's a really good kisser and he hugs really tight that it's hard to breathe, that's the best kind."

"A bear hug?" Nami said.

"Yep. Much better than Sanji's hugs."

"Well, he doesn't have much muscle to make hugs like that." She said with a smile. "So, that's all you've been doing?"

"Yep. Zoro got to see the kids again and it was just priceless to see all of them see him again."

"I bet. He doesn't get stressed out?"

He shook his head. "No way, he's a pro when it comes to handling things like that and the kids are great with him too because they want him to come in more often so they have to follow his doctor's orders and let him rest and only bug him if they really need help."

"Wow."

He giggled. "The kids I work with are like that after a month or two with me. There's no doubt that they'll do good once I have to part with them and have new recruits."

"You had some new ones recently, right?"

"Yeah, but my crew gave them the ropes and are now part of the crew now. Soon when the old crew moves on to better things, the new recruits now would help out other new recruits to become a team and the cycle continues."

"You really have all this down, don't you?"

"I wouldn't say that, I just go along with their huge imagination and make it something they can learn by that will help them be better people, even when they reach that age."

"Yeah…"

He smiled. "When Zoro was there, only one of the girls came up and asked him about his 'wounds' and he explained it as best he could to her and she decided to be a doctor so that she could help him when she grows up."

"That's so sweet."

"That's not even the best part."

"It isn't?"

He shook his head. "This girl was really smart from the beginning and I actually had a lot to trouble getting her to join in the fun. But when Zoro came in the first time, she knew that he was playing along but she looked up to him because he was acting out the part. After his second visit she went ahead and find any books about being a doctor, in her own level of course."

"Wow, so she's going to be gunho about being a doctor now?"

"Who knows, I just give them the confidence to do anything they set their mind to."

She smiled as she paid the bill. "You owe me for brunch."

"I know." He said as he finished up his small meal and smiled. "Is that all you want to talk about?"

"Well, I was going to ask you if he's treating you right, but I don't have to worry about that. You two… seem complete when you're together."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you do."

He smiled as both got up. "That's good to hear."

"Off to work now?"

He shook his head. "I have the day off. But Zoro should be done donating blood by now and sleeping it off."

"Have either of you thought about moving in?"

"Nope, and I don't think it's gonna happen for some time."

"You really are taking cautious steps in this odd relationship."

He shrugged. "I think it's kinda fun."

"You still cooking?"

"Yep! But today is Zoro's turn to cook."

"You two sure like taking turns with the cooking thing."

"Well we ran out of questions to ask about each other."

"Oh right you were doing a questioning game a while back."

"Yep, so now it's cooking."

"Well, I have to get to my job now, enjoy your day off."

"Thanks! See you later!" He said as they parted ways and he headed to the other's apartment, where sure enough there the other was on the couch.

He went up and kissed the other on the forehead, waking the other up a little.

"Hey Luffy, how was your talk with Nami?"

"It was good, but she figured out our secret."

"And?"

"She just wants to make sure you're treating me right."

He smiled as he settled to get some sleep in. "She's a good friend then."

He smiled as he kissed the other again before sitting down on the floor and turned on the television.

"Why are you on the floor?" Zoro asked.

Luffy looked at the other and smiled. "I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable if I sat there."

Zoro got up and pointed to the spot behind him. "Sit." He said.

Luffy blinked but he did and the other laid back down on his lap.

"Much better."

Luffy blushed as he smiled. "Better than the floor." He admitted as he stroked the green hair while the other slept peacefully.


	19. Meeting Big Brother

Chapter 19: Meeting Big Brother

*_+_*

"Eh?" The trio: Vivi, Sanji and Usopp said as they looked at Nami with shocked expressions.

"They're dating?" Vivi said first.

"I wouldn't say dating, but still doing what they do now, only with some kissing and hugging."

"So it's innocent benefit?" Usopp asked.

"Of course it is." Sanji said. "That guy has a heart condition, he can't do anything that would raise it up more than it could."

"Oh right… I forgot about that…" Usopp said. "Jeeze the guy acts like he doesn't have it most of the time."

"He had ten years worth of practice." Nami pointed out as she took a sip of her tea.

"I can't even imagine not doing anything for ten years." Sanji said. "That's not really living, that's just existing…"

"But I'm so happy for the both of them." Vivi said with a happy smile.

"Me too." Nami said. "Those two just fit somehow."

Sanji laid back and sighed. "One can't make a delicious cake without mixing in the ingredients that, alone, can't be enjoyed." He said.

"Huh?" The three said.

"In order to make a cake, one has to put in eggs, oil, flour, and those other things." He said. "You can't eat a raw egg, and you can't swallow oil. But put them together and you get a cake."

"I don't get what you're saying…" Nami said.

"He means that even though both of us lied and cheated on Luffy, he ended up with something better. The bad things are the ingredients, and Zoro is the final product, the cake."

"Wow… that's a great way to put it." Vivi said.

"But you also have to mix in milk and sugar right?" Nami said. "Aren't those good ingredients to use?"

"What ever Zoro did to help Luffy through are the good ingredients." Sanji said. "The kind that people like and continue to have versus the other that wouldn't do so well if not mixed to make it good."

"You should be a cooking Buddha or something." Nami said as everyone laughed.

"That'll be the day!" Sanji said as he sighed. "But I'm glad that guy is able to make Luffy happy. He deserves it."

"You're still guilty about that?" Nami said. "For crying out loud it's been months!"

"I am over it, I'm just reminiscing it a bit."

Nami knocked him over. "Whatever, just quit sounding depressed when you talk about those two! It completely ruins the happy moment!"

"H-Hai…"

"Try living with him when he's like that." Usopp said.

"Oi!"

Vivi couldn't help but giggle as she wondered what the two were doing at this point.

_/\/\/\_

Zoro and Luffy sneezed at the same time, causing Zoro to take a pill.

"Damn, someone it talking about us." Luffy said.

"Can't say I'm too happy to have that little venture." Zoro said as he swallowed some water.

"It can't be all that bad." Luffy said with a smile. "Maybe they're talking about us because they're happy to know that you and I are getting along just fine."

Zoro didn't have a counter argument for that and smiled. "What ever you say, Captain."

Luffy giggled as he held the other's hand. "Anything worth our attention to watch?"

"Dunno… We could go out to a movie…"

"Really?"

"Why not? I heard there's some good movies out and only one or two suck."

Luffy laughed as he thought of what kind of movie he wanted to see. "I know! Let's just go to the theatre and get in to the one close to starting."

"A random movie choice."

"Yep!"

Zoro smiled. "Okay, I'm game for that."

"Yosha!" Luffy cheered as they got ready to head out to the theatres.

_/\/\/\_

Once in the theatres, they mostly held hands as they stared at the screen, not really paying attention to the movie. Once in a while Zoro would bring their hands up and kissed the back of the other's hand, making the other smile and tightened the grip.

When the movie was over they were heading out when someone said something behind them.

"I saw that."

They looked back to see two men, one of twenty-eight years, the other of forty-three years. The younger man was fit with black hair in easy waves down to his chin while the older man had smoke gray hair but looked young for his age.

"Ace?!" Luffy said as he hugged the man.

"Hey little brother, how's it going?"

"It's going good!" He said as he looked at Zoro. "Zoro, this is my older brother, Ace and Smoker." The then looked at the two. "This is Zoro."

"Hello." Zoro said with an easy smile.

"Hey, I heard a bit about you. Thanks for helping my little brother out." Ace said.

Zoro scratched the back of his head.

"So… You two dating now?"

"We're friends with innocent benefits."

"How innocent?"

"Kissing and hugging." Luffy said.

"Oh, okay! That's acceptable to me." Ace said with a laugh.

"He intends to keep him a virgin for the rest of his life." Smoker said to Zoro.

"Smokey-kun…" Ace whined.

Zoro smiled. "He is the older brother, but it's Luffy that makes the choice."

"At least someone understands." Luffy said as he stuck his tongue out to his brother.

"Oi! The only time you can even think about losing your virginity is when you're happily married to the person that is 500 percent guaranteed to not walk out on you."

Smoker shook his head, not wanting to get involved with the brothers arguments. "Want a drink?" He asked Zoro.

"Sounds good, but I'll pass." Zoro said, making Ace come up to him and shook his hand.

"Now I know I can trust my brother with you."

"Eh?"

"Passing the offer to a drink is a sign for me to know that you won't walk out on my brother anytime soon."

Zoro looked at Luffy, signaling for any kind of assistance. "That… makes sense." He managed to say."

"Ace would you cut that out, you're going to scare Zoro off." Luffy said with a pout.

"Ah! Sorry, sorry!" He said with a laugh. "I'm almost to my thirties but I can't help but fell overprotective of my little brother."

"You need to get over that somehow." Smoker said. "It was bad enough when we heard what happened between you and that cook, what's his face."

"Smokey! He may still be scarred from that!"

"No, I'm okay. I'm completely over it a long time ago."

"See, you shouldn't worry so much about him."

"But…"

"Don't worry Ace!" Luffy said as he wrapped an arm around Zoro's. "I have Zoro to help me out with almost anything that troubles me."

Ace looked at the two and sighed. "Okay…" He looked at Zoro. "Zoro-san, I'm only going to say this once."

"You want to make sure I take care of Luffy and never make him cry or I'll pay for it with my grave. Right?"

Ace was dumbstruck. "What am I thinking right now?"

"You're questioning if I can read your mind. But I can't, you're just that easy to read."

"Oh shit! I can't do my dramatic speech with this guy!"

"Thank god." Smoker said.

"Smokey…"

Luffy giggled as Zoro smiled.


	20. Heartache Truth

Chapter 20: Heartache Truth

*_+_*

The day went on like normal for Zoro. He wakes up, looks at the time and knows that Luffy was working, gets up, dressed, and decided to go out for a walk, which wasn't long as he realized that he was short in his prescription.

"Damn, I have to go asked that damn witch." He said as he went there, got the pills he needed and walked in the park.

It was a gloomy day out, but he enjoyed the cool breeze either way and returned back to his apartment to take a nap.

_/\/\/\_

When he woke up a couple hours later, he saw the time and was confused as he got up to see that Luffy had yet returned to his apartment.

"I'll try his cell." He said to himself as he gave the other a call, but didn't get anything. "What's going on?" He was going to try the apartment phone when his phone went off with his doctor's number on it. "What is it?"

"Get your ass in here now! We found you a heart!"

"What?"

"Get in here or it will go to someone else!"

He didn't have time to hang up as he got down to the hospital, found his doctor and went into the E.R., shedding his clothes as he did until he was in his boxers. "What's the deal with this guy?"

"Car accident. Some moron decided to not see the red light and slammed against the guy."

"Is he really going to die?" Zoro said.

"His body is in tacked, that's all I know."

"Shit, I couldn't even get a hold of Luffy…" He said as he saw the room he was going to be in and got on the operating table.

"How are you?"

"Just a little stressed."

"Take anything?"

"No."

"Good, makes the process a lot easier."

"If Luffy does come and ask about me-"

"I'll let him know…" She said as she got herself ready as a mask was over his face.

Zoro was feeling slightly drozy before he groggily heard another group coming in with another person on the operating table.

"Doctor! Are you sure of this procedure?"

"The brat ask that if anything happened to either of them, this will how it will go."

"But-"

"There's no time for 'buts', now get moving!"

"Doctor, the donor's name is…"

He barely caught the rest as he looked to see the other next to him before falling into darkness.

_/\/\/\_

"Zoro… Zoro!"

He woke up to see Luffy above him. "Luffy?" He said as he got up and looked to see that they were in a field that he was sure he had never been too. "Where are we?"

"Dunno…" Luffy said with a laugh. "But does it really matter?"

"Kind of…" He said. "I mean, I remember being in the E.R."

"The E.R.?"

"Yeah. Apparently they found a heart for me."

"Really?"

"Yeah, some bastard ran a red light and hit the guy that I got the heart from. By the way, why weren't you answering your cell when I called you? You weren't home like you usually were."

Luffy smiled sadly as the clouds started to come in and the area was dulled by the lack of sunlight. "I don't know… It happened so fast…"

"What are you saying?"

Luffy held out his hand. "Walk with me."

Zoro grabbed the other's hand, got up, and walked side by side in the unfamiliar world. "Mind telling me what's going on? And how we got here?" He asked as he looked to the other, only for him to be gone. "What the hell? I was holding his hand tightly…" He looked around to see that the clouds darkened and the field seemed to be experiencing some violent wind, but he didn't feel a thing. "Luffy…" He said as he started calling out and running.

'Wait! I'm running? When did I…? Never mind! I have to find Luffy!' He thought as he soon found himself outside the care center that Luffy worked.

"See you tomorrow!" Luffy called as he was exiting the building.

"Luffy!" He called. "What the he-" He started when the other went through him. "Wha-" He turned, only to find himself in the other's car. He looked to see the other driving, driving towards his apartment. "Luffy! Can't you hear me?" He reached out, only for his hand to go through. He looked to see a street as the car stopped at a red light. "Don't tell me…" He whispered as the light turned green and Luffy moved forward.

Time seemed to slow down as Zoro watched as Luffy drove out into the intersecting street and saw the bright headlights of the other vehicle as Luffy looked and before the other could say or do anything, everything became bright and he felt the impact.

_/\/\/\_

"LUFFY!!" He shouted as he sat up in the hospital bed, the sound of the heart monitor going crazy as his doctor came in.

"You're finally awake!" She said as he panted.

"Wha- Where…?"

"You're in the recovery room, you dumbass."

He looked around and he did register the room and looked at his doctor. "Where's Luffy…" He said.

She gave him a sad look, a look she rarely shows.

"Where is he…" He asked as she brought out a wheel chair.

"Get on." She said quietly.

He didn't want to question her as he grabbed a robe, put it on, and got on the wheel chair.

They moved down the hallway as he realized that they were closing in on the urgent recovery room, the room where the serious injuries go to have special care. He knew because he spent a lot of time there before moving into the apartment.

_/\/\/\_

They entered the area and went down to the end of the hall, where there was a display window, meaning that the person in critical condition was to stay there without any foreign germs, but allow family and friends to watch as the specialists do the daily caring.

"Stop." He said as the doctor stopped pushing and he stood up. He walked to the window and he could see who is exactly in the room. "Dr. Kureha… The guy who was in the car accident…"

"Is Monkey D. Luffy…"

"And the heart…"

"Was his and now inside you."

"And him…?"

"He has yours…"

"You've got to be joking…" He said as he was sure that he was breaking. "My heart isn't suited to be inside in another person…"

"He wanted to be your donor and only you."

"Why? I have the worst heart in the world. Even a smoker's heart would be suitable if it's still able to function… But mine…"

"He asked me months ago to test him for a good match. It was."

"But why did you switch hearts?"

"It was his idea."

"What?" He said, still looking at the other in the clean room attached with numerous tubes.

"He said that if it was a good match, and if something were to happen to you, he will be your donor and do a heart switch. He gives you his, and he'll have yours. I told him it was risky, but he insisted. And I ran a lot of tests, but all of them were positive for a successful operation."

"But he was in an accident…"

"That's why he's in that room. The heart would be able to accept him if he was healthy and free of any injuries, but he lost a lot of blood when he came in. As you can see, we're using all the blood you've donated for him." She said as Zoro placed a hand on the glass. "Good news, he's stable despite what happened."

"Why do I sense a bad news there?"

"He's in a coma. He might not wake up for a long time." She said as she saw the other shaking as she looked to see the friends and family quietly walked in and saw the sight before them.

"Why Luffy…?" Zoro said as he choked and tears fell down. "Why did you go and ask for this stupid switch? Even after I told you that my heart was killing me since the day I was born…" The tears didn't stop when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Because that's how much he loves you."

He turned to look at Sanji. "You…"

"He wanted to do this because he loves you, even when you two decided to be a bit more than friends." He said. "He also wanted you to live. Because you didn't for the last ten years and he wanted to help you in anyway, even if it meant his end."

Zoro turned to look back to see the rest of the group including Ace and Smoker before looking back to see Luffy. That's when he heard it, beating against his eardrums. The feeling of a strong heart beating in his chest as he another round of tears fell from his eyes as he cried out.

"Luffy! You stupid idiot!" He shouted as he fell to the ground and cried, while the others didn't know what to do and just stood there and watched the strong man wail like a child who lost something very dear, and they don't blame him.

* * *

Please don't sue me for this.

Zoro: I know I am.

I got no money...

Zoro: Tough.

You're still in debt!

Zoro: Damn it!

And you can't kill me either!

Zoro: (glares)

I got Nami on speed dial.

Zoro: (continues to glare)

So... yeah, sorry to leave it like that everyone.


	21. Face of an Angel

I'm sorry this took forever for me to update, even though it's now in boils down to two chapters. And because I got too much reviews to reply, I'm just gonna put the chapters up and I'll answer any review after that. Sorry it took me for-ev-er to get these up, but I had summer school darn it! And the English class was kinda ruthless, thank you very much! And after all that B.S. I think I failed that class... well... maybe a D... I don't know for sure, but still! It was a pain!

*sigh*

Right! Well, enjoy these chapters then, I'm gonna work on the others.

* * *

Good Heart 21: Face of an Angel

A month went by and Zoro was on his motorcycle heading to the hospital. Once there he signed in as a visitor and went to the recovery room and found the room where Luffy is, still in a coma, but the heart monitor showed that the heart inside him now is beating strong and functional.

Luffy had been off the tubes for about three weeks, much to the female doctor's surprise, and was only on a breathing machine now. Though asleep he had surprised everyone including the green haired man when the news went out that the failed heart that threatened to kill one was beating strongly for him.

Zoro on the other hand was more than relieved to know that the other would be okay with his old heart while the heart inside him was beating strong and lively, just like how the other should be now. He had been an outpatient for a few weeks, working in Luffy's place in the center and enjoyed the time he had there with the kids. He brought them in to see Luffy after he was off the tubes and they lively talked to the comatose captain as if he was still there listening, soaking their words in. He had a feeling that they knew what was really going on, but if it helps their pretend captain, they had no problem going on like it was before.

When he's not working he had been brushing on riding his motorcycle, took kendo class, and was able to do things he wasn't able to for so long. At first it didn't feel right to do these things when the other who gave him his heart was in the hospital. But little by little he convinced himself that this is what the other wanted him to do, which was starting to show by the gained muscle and tanner skin, showing his improved health.

He had made it almost a ritual when he comes in the hospital and in the room with his comatose friend and lover. He would come in at the same time every day, spend a few hours just talking about everything and nothing, kiss the other on the forehead, and do it all over again the next day. He wasn't the only one who visited the teen, but he was by far the one who visited the other the most.

Another couple months went by and there hardly seem to be any change in the comatose man's condition, but that was okay with Zoro, as long as the heart is still beating inside the man in a good rate, the other would wake up soon and they would be able to move on from there.

_/\/\/\_

One day he was on his way to Luffy's apartment, which he moved into about a month after he got out of the hospital and thus making him no longer a patient to stay in the specialized apartment. He worked on the arrangement by himself and hoped the other didn't mind when he returns to find that he now has a roommate. He went to the couch and decided to take a nap, when he heard a knock on the door.

He didn't like when he's about to take a nap only to be disturbed. "Better not be those sales people again…" He got up and headed to the door to look at the peep hole, only to back up slightly with a shocked look. He opened the door, still in shock and the door revealed Luffy, smiling and hugged him.

"Zoro! I'm so glad to see you!"

Zoro hugged the other back, confirming that the other is solid in his arms and brought them into the apartment. "Luffy…?"

"Yeah, didn't the old lady doctor call you that I was coming?"

He blinked as he rested his forehead on the other's head. "Why the hell would she do that? She takes pleasure in making people suffer then making them feel better."

Luffy blinked but he smiled as he moved his head to kiss the other, who returned it until both were practically hungry for one another.

"You're sure you're up for this?" Zoro asked. "You just got out of the hospital after all."

"I've been asleep for too long. And the old lady said I'm very fit and healthy for someone who just woke up."

Zoro took off the other's shirt before the other said anything.

"Zoro-!" He started to say as he was moved to the couch and the other was on top of him. "Zoro! What the-!" He stopped when he saw that the other just had his ear pressed up against the chest where the heart is.

"So it really is beating okay for you?"

Luffy got his hand up and petted the other's head. "Yeah… I always said you have a good heart."

"Then why did it try to kill me?"

"It wasn't trying to kill you."

"It was Luffy…"

Luffy moved his hand to the base of the man's neck and massaged it. "You know what I think? I think its your heart's way of saying to find me soon."

Zoro got up and look at the other. "What the hell?"

"Think about it, it's rare for someone to have a bad heart without good reason and then have someone be a perfect match to save them without the other paying the price, but gaining it."

He shook his head. "Whatever you say Luffy, I'm just happy to see you." He said as he cupped the other's face. "Mind if we hold that off until the end of this month, just to be sure."

Luffy smiled as he brought the other down to kiss him as his response.

"Okay. Now… would you like something to eat?"

"Yes! I'm starving!" Luffy whined as he brought out the puppy eyes. "That old lady was so scary I had to get out quickly so I can eat without her throwing those knife things at me!"

Zoro figured as much as he got up. "Okay, you take a shower while I get started."

"Kay!"

_/\/\/\_

A month went by and Zoro and Luffy returned from spending a night in the city with the rest of the group, who were happy to see Luffy is in great health.

Luffy grinned as he locked the apartment door and looked to see the other had a similar grin as he headed to the bed room. But he ran and jumped onto the other's back and got a piggy back ride there.

Both laughed as they got into their shared room and Luffy got off of the man's back as the older of the two turned to him.

"You sure you're up to it?" He asked, wanting to be completely sure that the other can handle it.

"I'm sure Zoro." He said as he sneaked a hand under the other's shirt.

He grinned as he leaned down to kiss the other softly before parting again to meet the other's eyes. "If you feel like you're in pain, you better let me know damnit."

"You're such a worry wart!" Luffy said as he nuzzled his nose up against the others. "I'll be fine, because it's Zoro who's doing it."

He blushed lightly at that. "Oi…" He started to say as the other kissed him while the sneaky hand was touching his lower torso. He grinned into the kiss as he proceeded to remove the other's shirt while kissing the other.

((Lemon – Haven't done one in awhile))

Once the shirt was off and the other's hand moved from his abs to his chest, trying to remove his shirt, he helped along as well as threw it to the floor. Zoro then moved the other to the bed and guided the other to lie on his back while he hovered a bit above him. He looked down and saw the scar on the younger's chest and traced it lightly with his finger.

"We're almost alike now." Luffy said as he trailed his finger on the other's chest. "Yours is still cooler though…" He pouted making the other chuckle.

"Tough." He said as he leaned down and kissed the other passionately as he roamed his hands everywhere on the other's chest, noting the spots that made the other giggle or moan as he kissed along the jaw line and down the neck, where the other's moans were getting louder.

He thought he heard someone pounding the wall, but he grinned as he continued pleasuring his boyfriend as he moved his hands down lower, but didn't undo the other's pants, much to the other's displeasure.

"Zoro…" He whined as he thrusted his hips, colliding it with the others and thus feeling the other's erect member trapped in his pants as well.

He quickly placed his hands under the other's rear to keep the lower half against him as he nibbed the other's ear as he lowly growled out. "Don't be hasty now…" He said heatedly as he moved both of them further onto the bed. He then started to undo the other's pants, freeing the member from the first of two articles of fabric.

Luffy moaned at the freed feeling as he felt the other kissing down his neck and left a love bite at the curve of his neck where it met the shoulder. He moved his hands from the man's back to wrap his arms around the man's neck, which he heard the other chuckle but he could feel the other's hands taking off his pants and boxers, freeing his erection from any confines. He hissed at the sudden cold air, which was quickly replaced with a moan when he felt the other's rough hands massaging his inner thighs. He could feel himself building as his hands went down to the other's shoulder blades and dug his nails into the other's back.

Zoro growled low when he felt nails on his back, but he grinned as he moved one hand behind the other and grabbed the rear, causing the other to dig his nails deeper. "Fuck… I want you now!" He said as he started to undo his pants.

Luffy had his lust filled eyes on the other, taking in everything as the heat continued to build inside him as he started to whisper the man's name softly between his uneven breathing.

Zoro, still having some common sense in his otherwise hazy, lust-filled mind, he reached under one of the pillows and brought out a condom and lube. He opened the lube and covered one finger, then another, before positioning the other. "This will feel uncomfortable…" He warned as he placed the tip of his finger inside the other's entrance and watch the other seem to regain his senses.

"Will it hurt?"

"Honestly, yes. But I'll try my best to make it less so."

"I trust you." He said with a smile as he felt more of the finger going in and whined. "It feels weird."

Zoro chuckled, helping him clear his mind from the haze a moment ago. "Trust me, this will help to when 'I' go in." He said as he placed a second finger in, causing the other to squirm.

Luffy got a chance to have a look at the man's member and his eyes widened, which the other caught.

"I hope that's a good surprise look."

"It's huge…"

He chuckled as he used his other hand to rub the other's tip. "Yours isn't that bad either." He said as he watched the other moan and whimper as he felt the pre-cum on his finger, brought it up to his lips and licked it, all while the other was watching. "Not bad…" He said with a predator grin.

Luffy resembled a tomato as he felt the fingers stretching him, making him dig his nails into the other's back once more.

Zoro growled in pleasure when he felt the nails on his back, and even more when he felt the nails move, but not to the point of scratching him. He can feel himself building, but he wanted to make sure the other's entrance was ready for his member. He used the other hand to grab the condom, ripped it open with his teeth, placed it on himself and took his two fingers out and placed himself to the mostly prepared entrance. "Ready?" He asked as he looked at the other, who was once again lost in his lust filled haze. He took it as a yes and got the tip in, which seemed to bring the other back to reality.

He tried to ease the other's discomfort by kissing the other in various places he knew would be pleasurable to the other while also rubbing the other's member for extra pleasurable support before moving in more.

Luffy was in a mixed world of pain and pleasure as he whimpered, moaned, gasped, and cried a little as he felt the huge member entering him until he could wrap his legs around the other's middle.

"You okay?" Zoro asked in uneven breaths.

"Yeah…" Luffy said as he held the other close.

"You want to continue?"

Luffy didn't say anything as he looked at the other, kissed him and unwrapped his legs to free the other to move.

Zoro understood and started to move in a steady pace as he watched the other as he pumped the other's member in time with his thrusts. When he heard and saw the other in a way he hadn't seen before, he knew he had to do that again and thus started the increase pace and all common sense gone in the heat of the moment.

This continued for another few minutes until Luffy couldn't hold back any longer and cried out as he climaxed, this was followed by the other as both collapsed onto the bed.

Both were speechless for sometime before they caught their breath.

Zoro was about to ask the other if he was okay when he heard the familiar beat of the heart going from rapid from their moment of lovemaking to the steady beat of the aftermath. He listened to the heart and found it the most wonderful sound he'd ever hear.

((Lemon End))

"Zoro?" Luffy said softly after a small nap after the aftermath. "Zoro?" He petted the other's head, rousing him to wake up and look at him. "You fell asleep too, huh?"

"Yeah. You okay?"

Luffy smiled and nodded. "That was amazing."

He chuckled as he brushed away the bangs off the other's face. "You're really beautiful, you know that?"

Luffy blushed as he giggled. "That's a first."

"I'm serious." He said as he kissed the other's neck. "I love you so much that I might've died a hundred times without realizing."

"Zoro!"

He chuckled. "If that's the case, I'm glad to see this angel's face every time."

Luffy was blushing more out of embarrassment and the fact that he's being complimented as the other kissed him softly.

"Thank you…"

"Hm?"

"Thank you for being in my life when I believed it was pointless."

Luffy smiled as he cupped the other's face. "Thank you for taking me to your place that night."

Zoro smiled as he kissed the other on the lips, the other kissing back as they spent the rest of the evening loving each other's company.

* * *

Okay! Now to continue with the reviews before we head to the next chapter, unless you really don't care and, by all means, continue to the next and final chapter.


	22. End

Well, despite the long wait, I hope you guys enjoyed this all the same. I hope all of you are enjoying your summer, cause I'm not. *smiles* Joking, I had some good moments.

* * *

Good Heart Epilogue

Nami sighed harshly as she and the others were at the coffee shop in the mall, waiting at one of the tables. "Where are those two?" She said with a scowling feature.

"Maybe Luffy dragged Zoro into watching a marathon last night." Vivi said, trying to reduce the potential rise of the other girl's foul mood.

"That's something he would do." Usopp said as he drank his small cup of coffee.

"I remember he would do that to me once in awhile." Sanji said as he drank some tea. "The worst was the older Transformer marathon."

"Oi, that's a good show."

"I'm not bashing the fans, it's just not my thing."

"Why are we together again?"

"You tell me, I forgot a long time ago."

The two females sweat dropped when the two men bicker like any regular couple.

"Hey!"

The group turned to where they heard the voice and saw the two they were waiting on, with Luffy having a piggy back ride on Zoro, who didn't seem to mind.

"What took you two so long?" Nami asked, clearly pissed about waiting.

"Sorry, we stayed up a bit too long and overslept a bit." Luffy said as he giggled while nuzzling against the man.

The group were suspicious of the two as Nami pointed to the empty chairs. "Sit." She demanded as she watched Zoro walk over to one of the empty chairs, helped the other down and even helped Luffy onto the chair.

"Want me to get you anything?" Zoro asked.

"Hot tea and one of those treats they have in there."

"Right. Be right back." He said as he went into the coffee shop.

Once he was gone from their sight, the group looked at Luffy.

"Luffy… did you and Zoro…?" Vivi, unexpectantly, boldly asked as the other three were wondering the same thing.

Luffy only smiled a smile that gave away everything that was on his mind, making Nami excited.

"Congratulations!" She said as she took a swing of her Chai Tea, cooled from the long wait.

"Thanks!" Luffy said as Zoro came out with two coffee cups and a small bag containing Luffy's treat.

"What are you guys talking about?"

"You and Luffy's hook up of the next level." Sanji said dully, secretly enjoying watching the man turn red.

"You told them?" He looked at Luffy who grabbed the bag and started eating the huge rice crispy block.

"He didn't have to say anything." Nami said with a chestier cat smile. "It was so obvious."

Zoro sighed as he sat down, placing the tea in front of his lover and took a sip of his black coffee. "So, why are we here again?"

"We were going to see a movie, but you two took your sweet time getting over the aftermath morning…" Nami said as she left the part to fill out unspoken, causing the man to blush even more. 'So easy it's funny.' She thought evilly as she shook it off and sighed. "Oh well, that just leaves us going around the mall and looking at some things for about two hours before the next viewing."

"Why can't we see the next movie?" Luffy asked, finished with his two items.

"They're already playing you dumbass!" She said, a vein popping out of her temple. 'He's still an idiot after losing his virginity… He's an unbreakable case…'

"I'm hungry…" Luffy said as he looked at the time, which was deemed too early for lunch.

"Is that all you think about?" Usopp joked as a few silently laughed at that.

"Not as much now, since I have Zoro now." He said as he wrapped his arms around the man's one arm and nuzzled. "He takes the number one spot of what I think about."

"Aww!" The girls said as the guys seemed dumbfounded, while Zoro seemed to not mind the display and finished up his coffee.

"So…" Zoro said as he gathered the two empty cups and crumpled up the empty paper bag to place in the cup. "Any idea of what to do before the next movie, if that plan is still up for it."

Nami thought about it and looked ahead to see a Spencers and grinned. "I have an idea…"

Vivi looked to where her girlfriend was looking and blushed. 'Oh boy…' She thought.

Zoro happened to look as well and looked surprised. 'Of all places…' He thought as he remembered the last time he checked out the small store ranging from harmless 'Happy Bunny' merchandise to fuzzy handcuffs and dectorate leather whips. He still remembered seeing a wall dedicated to items used for a bachelorette party with the 'pecker' theme all in pink and whatnot.

"Well! We better start moving then!" Nami said. "I have to get something from a store anyway."

Vivi blushed like a red streetlight as three out of the four guys sweat dropped. 'Poor girl…' They thought as they looked at the seemingly innocent, light blue haired girl.

"Huh? Where are we going?" Luffy asked, completely oblivious to everything.

Nami winked. "A shop for payback 'items'." She said making the group look at Zoro, who looked dumbstrucked at the devious woman as she giggled.

"Eh? I don't get it." Luffy said as Zoro sighed and the others sweat dropped, feeling a bit sorry for the man and their oblivious friend.

* * *

Zoro: You went to Spencers?

With a friend. It's a cool store overall, but definately not something to drag small kids into. I found it quite interesting.

Zoro:I'm guessing this friend of yours is your darker counterpart...?

And proud of her for that, because she can do things that I'm unable to do.

Zoro: Or too scared to do...

That too.

Zoro:You're able to do those things, but you decided not to and be this saint to the world...

... Where are you getting at?

Zoro: Nothing really, just opening up a conversation.

Well, we better close this now, since this is the last chapter and all.

Zoro: Finally...

What was that?

Zoro: Nothing...

Well! Anyway, thanks you guys for reading and hope you guys are doing well, have a great summer (if you're reading this from the date it was posted), and smile lots!

Zoro: Someone's been hanging around with Luffy too long...

Oi, it's not like that.


End file.
